The Strength Of Ones Heart
by Nexxus176
Summary: After a crushing defeat in the Kalos League, Ash Ketchum vanishes from the world of pokemon after receiving some heart breaking news, only to return four years later. Through strength of heart, through strength of will, he returns to take on his biggest challenge yet while finding something special along the way. On Hiatus
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys, it's your boy here Nexxus!**** Well um...its uh...it's defiantly been quite a while hasn't it? Haha...que the nervous laughter! Reason you haven't heard from me lately is well...I got an xbox one and I officially have no life. I'm all set up, got Halo MCC, Advance warfare (The New Zombies Mode Kicks Ass!), Destiny (which by the way looks amazing on One opposed to 360) Battlefield 4, Minecraft (will never play it. Got it from a friend), GTA V, but I want to buy Dying Light as well. Anyways, I have deleted the "Only Time Will Tell" story, I'm abandoning it. I'm sorry, I've lost inspiration for it. I mean there hasn't really been any advanceshipping stories that I like that have been updated recently -_- Besides, there must be more great amourshipping stories! Besides...Amourshipping is becoming cann****on! Get this, on Fenruary 5th, 2015, an episode of the XY series is airing called "Ash and Serena's First Date! The Vow Tree and the Present!" MIND BLOWN X_X You have absolutely no clue how pissed I will be if Pokemon Anime people are just pulling a major troll. I will be so done, SO FUCKING DONE. Anyways this is my new story, I'll have to update at home now cause my school has this new web filter because a bunch of dummies were downloading Illegal stuff :( Soooo yeah...anyways I hope you guys enjoy this fic!**

**Disclaimer: NOT THIS BULLSHIT** **AGAIN!**

* * *

_(Flashback)_

_"Pikachu are you alright?!"_

_"Finish him off! Chesnaught use Frenzy Plant!"_

_Pikachu lay motionless on the battlefield of the Kalos League Finals as Chesnaught fires its strongest and most devastating attack. Ash could only watch as his best friend was enveloped in the super powerful attack._

_"PIKACHU!" Ash called._

_As the attack fades Ash runs out onto the field to find that his best friend, though unable to continue, is alright, but very badly damaged._

_"I'm so sorry buddy, I shouldn't have let it go this far" Ash pleaded with his pokemon._

_"Pika chu chu pi pikapi" Pikachu responded weakly._

_"It IS my fault, stop saying that it's not" Ash whispered._

_"Pika ka chu kachu" Pikachu replied._

_"What was I thinking? I should have forfeited the moment you were hit by his hyper beam. I knew it right then and there I should have forfeited!" Ash said angrily to himself._

_"Chu, Pika Pi" Pikachu said trying to soothe the guilt that his partner felt. Ash saw the look the electric mouse gave him and began to smile. _

_"We'll get stronger together, right buddy?" Ash whispered back._

_"Chaaa" Pikachu replied while nuzzleing Ash's cheek._

_By now Ash's friends and his mother had made it onto the field._

_"Is Pikachu alright" Bonnie asked meekly._

_"He will be" Ash spoke softly. _

_"Promise?" Bonnie asked until her brother placed his hand a top her shoulder._

_"Pikachu will be fine" Clemmont said with an all knowing glance. Bonnie nodded her head understanding that her brother wanted to give Ash some alone time._

_Clemmont took his sisters hand and began to walk away but he stopped and said "Serena, let's go" _

_"Are YOU ok though?" The honey haired teen asked while she completely ignored Clemmont. She looked at her childhood friend with a worried expression._

_Ash stood completely still, unwilling to speak to his friend._

_"Ash...?" Serena whispered before turning around and following Clemmont._

_Ash just stared at his friends as they began to walk away until he heard his mother speak._

_"You could have answered her question you know" Delia said softly._

_"Yeah...but I didn't" Ash whispered sadly. In the far distance he saw the boy who had beaten him walk over to his friends and begin a conversation with Serena all while ignoring the siblings from Lumiose City. He watched as Calem suddenly pulled Serena aside and talk to her privately. At the sight of this Ash bit his lip nervously and turned the other way and began to walk out of the arena._

* * *

That frown no longer remained on the raven haired boys face as he stood in a small clearing in Viridian Forest. The now 17 year old boy was wearing a blue tank top with his blue jacket tossed against a tree stump. He yawned and then stretched his arms before kneeling down and collapsing on the grassy terrain clearly exhausted. On the tree stump stood his faithful companion for the past seven years as a trainer Pikachu; number 25, the electric mouse was capable of using its tail to absorb electricity from a thunderbolt; that's what his pokedex had once said during his first days as a trainer.

"Arceus, I am totally spent for today. What about you buddy?" Ash asked.

"Chi" Pikachu yawned before shutting his eyes and falling asleep.

Ash chuckled and looked towards the start sky and felt his smile evaporated and became a frown. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue handkerchief that once belonged to someone he cared deeply about.

"Four years...hard to believe that I have been gone all this time" He whispered. He watched as a lone star traversed across the starry sky and felt his thoughts wander. "I wonder how she is doing" He whispered sadly.

* * *

_(Flashback) Kalos League Awards Ceremony_

_Ash found himself staring into the stars that blanketed the sky as he was laying down on the grassy terrain. After he had left the arena he had walked towards the lone hill that he was currently was at. His backpack was placed against the trunk of a cherry blossom tree that was only a few yards away from him. He turned towards the tree and saw Pikachu snoozing with his hat a top his head. He felt himself smile as he turned his gaze back towards the star filled sky and sighed. _

_"I...Why did I lose?" He wondered out loud. "This was it, I was so sure I would win this time. All that training we did...was it for nothing?" The raven haired boy quickly shook his head feeling like he was acting like a sore loser. "No...it was not for nothing. I was able to strengthen the bond between me and my Pokemon and that's what matters" _

_He felt his thoughts turn to what the outcome of the battle may have been. He pulled himself up into a sitting position and said "I promised myself...if I actually won this one, then I would tell her how I felt" He began to procrastinate as to if he should confront his childhood friend and reveal his feelings for her. "Arceus, why do feelings have to be so confusing?" He felt himself chuckle and said sadly "At least I don't have to tell her..." Suddenly he heard the snapping of branches behind him and he spun around._

_"Hello?" Ash called into the darkness hoping for a reply. "Maybe I imagined-" He began to say until he heard the snapping sound once more. "Who's there?" Ash asked becoming slightly agitated. Ash pulled himself to his feet and looked around the area for signs of movement. To his surprise he say a flash of white quickly dash behind a small rock. Ash then quietly tip toed his way over to the rock, he quietly climbed on top of it only to immediate leap off and exclaim "Gotcha"_

_Much to Ash's suprise however, instead of finding a human he found a small bipedal pokemon with a white body. Its body and legs seem to resemble a nightgown or an oversized dress. It had green hair resembles a bowl cut, which covered most of its face. Its hair was split by two flat red horns, a large one towards the front and a smaller one at the back. The pokemon, startled by Ash's sudden appearence, quickly inches away until its back was hugging the rock._

_"A...A Ralts?" Ash said as he scratched his head with a look of confusion upon his face. He watched as the Psychic/Fairy type pokemon wintered fearfully and grew concerned. "Are you ok?" Ash asked as he went to reach for the upset Ralts only for it to inch farther away from him. "Hey now, it's ok. I won't hurt you" Ash said, his voice full of compassion and a hint of concern. Slowly, but surely, the Ralts inched his way towards him only for it to suddenly leap into Ash's arms and begin to sob feverishly into his chest. Feeling his eyes widen in alarm, Ash quickly wrapped his arms tightly around the distraught Pokemon and made his way towards the tree. He sat down and leaned his back against the trunk of the tree while still holding the sobbing Ralts. After a few minutes the Ralts had calmed down and Ash carefully picked it up and placed him by his side._

_"Are you ok?" Ash asked Ralts only for it to shake its head. "Do you not want to talk about it?" He asked only for Ralts to remain silent and shake its head once more. Ash chuckled and placed the palm of his hand on top of Ralts' head and slowly pat it._

_"It's ok" Ash said. "I know what it's like not wanting to share what your feeling" When he received a look of confusion from Ralts, Ash simply shook his head._

_"I know how it feels to not want to share how you feel" Ash whispered sadly. "It's sometimes hard, especially when your scared. When your scared, you tend to not think rationally and sometimes only make the situation worse for yourself" When Ash noticed the blank stare on Ralts' face, he sighed and began to explain._

_"You see..." Ash began hesitantly. "There's this...girl I like. I like her a lot, and not in a friendly kind of way" When Ash noticed Ralts looking at him with a look of understanding he chuckled before beginning again. "I don't know why I feel this way, sometimes I hate myself for it too" He turned to Ralts and asked "Do you know what its like to regret something?" When Ralts nodded his head he simply smiled. "I wish I could just tell her, it's so frustrating!" Ash groaned. "Why do I have to feel this way about Serena?" He asked himself. "Its just...it's just so hard to figure out what to even say to her anymore. I've never felt this way before about anyone and it feels so weird, but in a good way. It's like...I just can't stop thinking about her, that's never happened before and it feel so odd to feel this way about my friend. Why can't I just tell her-"_

_"Tell her what?" A voice asked startling the raven haired teen. He turned around to find the girl he had been ranting about standing behind him. Feeling his face heating up, he quickly asked "Serena? What you doing here?"_

_"I didn't see you at the awards ceremony and I felt worried, so I came to find you" Serena answered with a faint blush which Ash did not notice._

_"O-oh" Ash stuttered nervously. "I forgot about that"_

_"It's ok Ash" Serena smiled. "Your only human"_

_"Yeah...I guess" Ash mumbled._

_"What do you mean you guess? Are you not a human?" Serena teased while playfully pushing Ash._

_"Nope" Ash said sarcastically. "I'm an alien from outer space who is here to harvest your brains!" He said playfully before quickly grabbing tackling Serena to the ground prompting the child friends to laugh. Ash got off of Serena and began to walk towards the edge of the hill. He sat down in the soft grass and motioned for Serena to sit next to him. He then lied down in the soft grass with Serena who was by his side. The two simply stated at the stars in silence just enjoying the moment that they shared with each other._

_"It's a beautiful night, isn't it?" Serena asked Ash softly._

_"Yeah...It is" Ash said with a wide smile. He felt something grab his hand and then noticed Serena's fingers intertwined with his own causing him to blush._

_"You know..." Serena mumbled quietly before her voice trailed off._

_"You know what?" Ash asked the honey haired girl._

_"Don't you just wish moments like these could last forever?" She asked nervously as her face reddened._

_"Yeah" Ash whispered with a soft smile. "Hey Serena, can I ask you something?" He asked._

_"Sure, ask away" Serena responded._

_"I saw Calem pull you aside earlier and ask you something." Ash said. "What was that all about?"_

_"Oh that..." Serena whispered feeling anxious, something which did not go unnoticed by her friend._

_"Is something wrong?" Ash asked with concern evident in his tone._

_"It's nothing..." Serena said nervously._

_"It doesn't sound like nothing" Ash replied._

_Serena sighed nervously and said "Y-you see...there was another reason I came out to find you"_

_"There was?" Ash asked feeling worried._

_"Y-yeah..." Serena stammered. "You see...after Calem won the league he asked me..."_

_"Asked you what?" Ash asked feeling the rate of his heart beat quicken._

_"He...asked me to be his girlfriend" Serena whispered with a heavy blush painted upon her face. That simple sentence however was enough for Ash to feel his heart slowly break in two. He pulled his hand away from Serena's and sat up and stared off into the distance._

_"Ash? Is everything ok?" Serena asked nervously._

_"What did you say?" Ash asked monotonically._

_"I...I said I don't know and that I would give him an answer tonight" She answered feeling worried about Ash's sudden change in behavior._

_"Do you know what your answer is?" Ash asked._

_"No..." She whispered. "But that's why I came to find you. I wanted your advice"_

_"My advice?" Ash asked._

_"Yeah" Serena answered. "You see Ash...I want to say yes but there's this other guy who I kinda like as well but I'm too afraid to tell him. To be honest I don't even know if he likes me the way I like him"_

_"What's this guy like?" Ash asked curiously._

_"Well, I've known him for a very long time and he has always been there for me. He is one of those guys who you want to show off to the world and saw that he is your boyfriend and that he is the most amazing guy on the planet. He is compassionate and has a love for Pokemon as well. He is always there for his friends and never backs down from a challenge" Serena answered with her face at this point tinted pink._

_"Sounds like the full package" Ash mumbled._

_"Yeah...he sure is" Serena whispered while she stared at Ash which he did not notice._

_"So...why do you want my help?" Ash asked._

_"I want you to help me figure out what to do" She answered. "I mean I want to say yes to Calem but I also want to tell the other boy I like him"_

_"Oh...ok" Ash said nervously. He took a deep breath and then said "You need to follow your heart. The heart never lies Serena, you should know that better than anyone"_

_"You're right" She whispered with a small smile. After a moment of silence she finally spoke up. "I know what my answer is"_

_"You do? What is it?" He asked nervously._

_"I think I'm going to say yes and be Calem's girlfriend" Serena said with a confident smile which had unknowingly shattered her friends heart. Ash felt a tear slide down his cheek which he immediately wiped away. He quickly got to his feet and walked over to where he had placed his bag and where Pikachu had been sleeping. He picked both of them up and began to walk away feeling heartbroken._

_"Ash? Where are you going?" Serena asked._

_"I-I'm going out to train" Ash replied trying to keep his composure before running off into the distance, only to unknowingly be followed by a certain pokemon. Serena sighed as she watched Ash fade off into the distance. She moved her hand to where her heart was and sadly whispered "I love you Ash"_

* * *

"It wasn't a complete lie...was it?" Ash wondered out reached for a pokeball and threw it in the air. Out came a white, bipedal Pokémon. Its lower body consisted of rounded hips with strong legs. It had a thin green torso with sharp, red horns sticking out of its chest and back. Its arms are shaped like tofns with extendable blades on its elbows. Its head resembled a gladiator's helmet with a white face and a teal head crest. It had spikes on the sides of its face.

"It's your turn to be on guard duty Gallade" Ash said.

_"Understood master"_ A voice in his head said.

"You know you don't have to call me master, right?" Ash asked.

_"Yes master"_ Gallade answered. Ash simply chuckled and said "Thanks friend" before slowly dozing off. Gallade simply stated at his master before saying _"Do not fret master, we will find them, very soon"_

* * *

**Well guys? What do you think? Does this story have potential or what?! On a side note however, I won't be updating the story as often as I did with the Betrayed Ones Return. Remember how I said I had trouble writing at home? Yeah that's where most of it will be at :/ Before I leave I want to ask everyone how they are. I hope everyone has had a great Christmas/New Years. Peace out!**

**-Nexxus**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey it's me! Good news, once again my school has installed a new filter HOWEVER I can now write at school again! Although it may not be as often as it used to be, my classes this semester are hard! The one that is the most is my french class but I'm going to drop it, not because I don't want to do the work but it is just way to much for me to handle! In other news...fuck you Japan. That date episode was just a major troll! And don't even get me started on her new character design! If I knew how to make a text troll face I would but let's keep this short! I'm very happy that people are enjoying this story, I mean I only have published one chapter (well two once this one is up) and people are loving it! Remember the best part? The chapters are longer! R&amp;R guys! Btw no more disclaimers, now I do quotes!**

**Daily Quote: "-And this is Dragons Breath, It's like a Sasquatch and a unicorn and a had a baby exotic. I didn't get this in no loot cave! Well maybe some other stuff...but not this" Drcrispy Destiny's Dark Below DLC trailer**

* * *

_Flashback Kalos League Awards Ceramony_

_"This way Pikachu" Ash said sadly as the yellow mouse hopped onto his head and began to snake his way through a crowd of people inside of the arena. It had been two hours since Ash had found out about Serena's predicament and those two hours had felt like years to the raven haired boy. A requirement of the Kalos League was that the top three trainers were to be awarded for their strenuous efforts they had gone though to reach where they were now. As Ash pushed his way through the crowd he saw his destination, a short distance from the roaring fans was Charles Goodshow and the two trainers that had placed in the top three like he had. He took his place between the two and waiting for Charles to hush the crowd and begin his speech. He felt something nudge his side and saw the trainer that had placed first, the one boy he did not want to see. Calem._

_"Why did you do that?" Ash asked._

_"I just wanted to say that we had a great battle and that I hope to have another one soon" Calem said with a smile. Ash managed to force a fake smile and agree with him. _

_"Yeah...it was fun" Ash murmured. He saw Calem offer him a handshake which he accepted. The two trainers held each others hand and shook the other. When Calem turned away Ash sadly whispered "No wonder why Serena likes you"_

_"Did you say something Ash?" Calem asked but before Ash could answer he was interrupted by Charles who began his speech. _

_"Fellow trainers" Charles began. "We gather here today to congratulate these three trainers for how far they have come to reach this prestige. A Pokemon League is a way of filtering out the strongest trainers and allow them to show themselves off to the world along with their pokemon. Though most of you didn't place, for did not make it past the first round, for those who may find their efforts to be fruitless; I would like to thank you. I see the potential that each trainer infront of me has and maybe one day you too will be among these three" He said as he pointed towards the trio. "We are here to congratulate these three"_

_Ash just seemed to blankly stare at Goodshow, not hearing a word he said. He could feel his world slowly crumbling around him and Pikachu noticed this as well. He poked his master's cheek with a concerning gaze to which Ash assured that he was fine. He watched as the trainer that stood next to him walked fowards and shook Charles' hand before being handed a bronze ribbon. He heard his name being called and made his way over to Goodshow_

_"Ash Ketchum __you have done a stupendous job by placing number two this year in the Kalos League" Charles said as he shook Ash's hand._

_"Thank you" Ash said emotionlessly as he accepted the handshake. Afterwords he pulled the visor of his hat down so it covered his eyes. _

_"For placing second, I award you with this silver medallion" Charles said as he handed Ash a silver medallion, engraved in the medallion was a Pokeball. The top of the ball said "Kalos" while the bottom half said "League" Attached to the silver medal was a ribbon so that he could wear the medallion and show it off to the world. Ash draped the award over his head and wore it as if it was a necklace. He then turned around and began to walk back to where he previously stood as an unnoticeable tear slid down his cheek. He watched as Calem approached Charles and received a large golden trophy. The two males laughed and began to converse with each other and with the crowd as Ash watched mindlessly. Realizing that everyone was distracted he used this chance to sneak his way out of the arena. He found his way to the exit and as the arena began to fade into the distance he could hear the cheers of fans and the popping of fireworks. He sadly shook his head before turning around and continuing his way off into the distance._

_Time skip: 15 minutes_

_"Guess this is it" Ash said as he walked out of the hotel he had been staying at. He turned one last time towards the arena and saw the fireworks still lighting up the sky. He turned towards his partner with a saddened look and was about to say something until he felt something wrap their small arms around his leg. He looked down and was surprised to find the Ralts he had met earlier._

_"Ralts? What are you doing here?" Ash asked the small pokemon. "Ralts?" Ash asked when Ralts had not replied but was immediately shocked when Ralts did._

_"I...I want to go with you" A voice said in Ash's head. _

_"Telepathy" Ash whispered as his eyes widened after understanding what had just happened. He looked towards Ralts and asked "Why do you want to come with us?"_

_"I...I have no where else to go, no one else to be with. I need a friend, and it looks like you do too" Ralts said._

_"I see" Ash mumbled. "Why are you-"_

_"I don't want to talk about it" Ralts said interrupting__ the Kanto Native._

_"Ok then" Ash said as he scratched his head. He pulled out a pokeball and held it in front of Ralts. He watched as the pokemon stared at the circular device nervously and sighed. "__Are you sure you want to do this?" Ash asked. After a moment of silence Ralts nodded his head and slowly reached its arm towards the button on the pokeball. As Ralts' arm lightly brushed the button he was absorbed by a bright red light and now resided in the pokeball. It turned furiously in Ash's hand but the raven haired trainer did not let go of the device until the turning ceased before placing the ball onto his belt. He turned towards Pikachu and nodded his head signaling the yellow mouse to scamper onto his shoulder as the duo ventured off onto the darkness to places unknown._

* * *

_Present time_

"Come on Pikachu! I see Pallet Town up ahead!" Ash yelled enthusiastically as he ran down the dirt path that lead to his childhood home. Ash could tell that his partner was excited as well due to the fact the yellow mouse ran faster than him and left him behind.

"Pikachu wait up!" Ash yelled as he began to run faster. As the duo ran down the path a figure watched them through the shadows created by the trees that surrounded it.

"He's back" the figure whispered. The figure appeared to be wearing a brown hooded robe, the robe had two dark brown straps crossing over the figures shoulders and chest, with five metal studs lining either strap. "It's finally time, I have been waiting for this moment for a very long time" The figure said loudly and laughed loudly but in a child like sort of fashion. The figure reached inside of the robe and pulled out a necklace with a pokeball attached to it. "You ready Pi? Cause this battle is going to be fun"

* * *

"Gosh Pikachu, would it have killed you to slow down a bit?" Ash sarcastically asked the yellow mouse.

"Pika!" Pikachu teased as he stuck his tounge out at the raven haired trainer.

"Hey!" Ash exclaimed angrily causing Pikachu to break out into laughter. Ash simply sighed and looked at the destination they had went to. "We back buddy, we're home" ash whispered Pikachu scampered up onto his shoulder. The duo stared at a cute little white house that sat in front of them. As Ash walked through the gate he noticed that the garden had grown larger in size compared to when he had seen it last. He walked up to the door and took a deep breath. He turned to Pikachu with a worried look then back at the door. He then knocked on the door loudly and moments later was met by a pokemon that he had not seen in years, in front of him stood a psychic type pokemon that closely resembled that of a clown or a jester, had a pink head with red cheeks and blue, frizzy hair, a round, white body with a red spot in the middle, light-pink arms and legs that were connected to its body by red spheres, along with white, five-fingered hands, and blue feet that curl upward at the tips. In the mime-like pokemon's hands was a wooden broom which it had tightened its grip on since opening the door.

"Mime?!" The pokemon exclaimed.

"It's nice to see you too Mr. Mime" Ash said as he nervously scratched the back of his head. Mr Mime then began to mentally freak out, from tightly gripping Ash's hand and firing him into a very cheerful handshake to giving Pikachu a bone crunching hug. Mr Mime continued to loudly hollow cheerfully until a sing-song voice from inside called "Is everything ok Mr Mime?"

"Mime! Mime mime Mr mime!" Mr Mime exclaimed and began to frantically flail his arms. A shuffling was heard from inside and footsteps could be heard approaching the door. Next to Mr Mime appeared a middle aged woman who did not notice Ash and Pikachu at all, she had long brown that ran past her shoulders that was tied into a pony tail, she was taller than Ash by at the most five to six inches, she appeared to be wearing a pink t-short and a pair of shorts that were both covered by a long smock that was covered in what appeared to be dough. Pikachu suddenly leapt off of Ash's shoulder and ran towards the woman and jumped into her arms briefly alarming here.

"Pikachu?" The woman said curiously before her face paled. "If you're here then that means!" She exclaimed before whirling towards the open doorway and saw who stood in the doorway. "A-A-Ash" The woman stuttered happily as a quivering smile appeared on her face. A lone tear escaped from her eyes and slowly glided down her cheek. "I-Is that really you?" The woman asked as if the man in front of her was simply an illusion.

"I...I'm back mom" Ash said with a nervous smile before being engulfed in a spine crushing hug from his mother who sobbed on her sons shoulder. She held her son there for a good two minutes of continuous sobbing before finally releasing the boy and wiped her eyes dry.

"I can't believe that you're finally back sweetie!" Delia exclaimed. She quickly stood a side before saying "Please, please come in!"

"Thanks mom" Ash said gratefully before walking into the other room and plopping down onto the L-shaped couch. He gave a big yawn and stretched his arms. He chuckled as he watched the yellow mouse do the same as well. His mother entered the room with Mr. Mime who carried a plate of freshly baked cookies. The mime pokemon placed the plate on the coffee table that rested in front of Ash before walking over to Delia who sat on the short side of the couch. Ash took a cookie and devoured it in a single bite causing his mother to giggle.

"Some things never change" Delia giggled.

"Do they ever?" Ash replied humorously before the room fell into an awkward silence.

"So...where have you been?" Delila asked after deciding to break the awkward silence between herself and her son.

"Everywhere" Ash said casually.

"What does everywhere mean?" His mother asked.

"As in I have literally been everywhere!" Ash said before reaching for another cookie only for his mother to slap his hand away from them.

"You can have more AFTER you answer my questions" Delia said sternly causing her son to groan.

"Fine" Ash grumbled. "What do you want to known?"

"Where my son has been for the past four years" Delia said.

"I just told you I've been every-"

"Don't you play this game with me Ash" Delia said as her lip began to quiver. Ash sighed before saying "By everywhere I mean the regions that I have travel to in the past"

"What did you do?" Delia asked curiously.

"I...I wanted to become stronger so I sought out the strongest trainers I could find, I wanted to hone my skills as a pokemon trainer before returning home. Kalos was my year mom, it was my year and I blew it!" Ash exclaimed slightly frightening his mother. "Losing that battle...really made me rethink my life" Ash said emotionlessly. "So many things occurred that day that aided in my departure. The first place I went to was Pallet Town, I wanted to get here before anybody noticed my absence. I went over to Professor Oak's lab and gathered all of my pokemon, every single one; I grabbed all the TM's that I earned from Gym Leaders also took are large sum of cash I won in the leagues to help me pay my way through these past for years and I now have not a penny to my name. After this I went to Saffron City and took a one way trip to Goldenrod City in the Johto Region on the magnet train. In Johto I trained with many people including Lance, he was a big help" Ash said before taking a deep breath.

"About six months after arriving in Johto I took a ship to Unova, there I embarked on a "quest" given to me by Former Champion Alder. The quest required me to a desert and locate a white spherical stone and bring it back to Alder, when I returned a Alder then had me go to Nacrene Town bring the stone go Lenora, the towns gym leader, for inspection. A day after arriving in Nacrene Town, Lenora told me that she knew absolutely nothing about the stone and told me to go one of my friends home town, the Village of Dragons. I brought the stone to the elder of the village and she was wise, wise enough to tell me that the stone had a powerful aura and it had chosen me as its bearer. She told me to bring the stone to the highest tier in Dragon Spiral Tower and awaken the stone, and when I did it I awoke the legendary Dragon Pokemon Reshiram, the dragon of truth and ideals" Ash said before pulling out a mega ring from his bag as well as a small white stone. He held the stone near his eye and said "This is a shard of what remained from the stone that had imprisoned Reshiram and went to the Kalos Region once more. I brought this to Shalour City and had Korrina's grandfather, who is a mega evolution guru, shape the stone so it would fit in my mega bracelet and now with this stone I can call Reshiram whenever I see fit"

After noticing how engrossed his mother was with his story he decided continue. "While I was in Kalos I decided to train a little and I began to collect mega stones so that my pokemon could mega evolve. I currently have 6. Afterwords I took a plane to the Hoenn Region and for one full year I stayed at the Tree of Beginning, one full year without any interaction with current civilization. During this time none of my Pokemon stayed in a pokeball, they were all allowed to roam freely in between training sessions. All of my Pokemon reached a new level of potential that would never have been possible before. Finally I came back to Kanto and traveled the region alone until I felt that I was ready to return home"

"Wow! Sounds like quite the adventure!" Delia exclaimed.

"Yeah...it was" Ash said sadly which did not go unnoticed by his mother.

"Ash are you ok?" She asked. When he did not respond she sighed and said "Come on sweetie, what's on your mind?"

"How are they?" Ash asked in a hushed tone.

"O-Oh" Delia stammered, believing that her son would go and ask his friends themselves. "Well..." Delia hesitated causing her son to grow worried. "Brock finally got his degree in Pokemon Medicine and now co-runs the Pokemon Center in Pewter City with Nurse Joy. Misty is still the Cerulean City Gym Leader but entered and won her first Pokemon League Tournament" Delia said causing her son to raise an eyebrow, clearly he did not think Misty would try collect the Kanto Gym Badges and win her first Pokemon league tournament.

Delia noticed her sons expression and chuckled briefly before continuing. "May ended up winning the Sinnoh Grand Festival last year and Max placed top 16 in the Hoenn League two years ago and is currently in Kanto trying to complete the Battle Frontier. Dawn ended up winning the Johto Grand Festival two months ago and one year ago she also ended up winning the Hoenn Grand Festival as well!"

"Wow..." Ash whispered feeling astounded that his teaching helped two of his companions rise up to where they stood in the world today.

"Cilan managed to finally become an S-Class connoisseur and is still working in Striaton City while Iris is currently under the tutorage of Drake the dragon master in Hoenn. Clemmont is still making his silly inventions and Bonnie is currently working with him as an aid" Delia said with a smile.

"What about her? About Serena?" Ash asked monotonously making his mother shiver slightly.

"What about her?" She asked.

"How is she?" Ash asked.

"She...well...you see...about that" Delia stammered nervously.

"Mom what's wrong?" Ash asked nervously. "Is something wrong with Serena? Is she ok? Did something happen to her? Mom where is she!"

"You see..." His mother began. "Serena became the Kalos Queen but...she isn't happy Ash"

"She isn't happy? I thought that her dream was to become-"

"She isn't happy because of you Ash" Delia said emotionlessly.

"Because of...me?" Ash whispered before feeling his heart break again since his departure.

"Ash...She was heartbroken when she found out you had disappeared, she thought that she had done something wrong. She went out to find you, she searched everywhere for weeks but couldn't find you. She gave up, she believed that you...died. She didn't think that Ash Ketchum would leave without saying goodbye. I remember the day after you disappeared she had locked herself in her hotel room, refusing to let anybody inside...but then there was that boy..."

"What boy?" Ash asked nervously.

"The boy who beat you in the Kalos Leauge" Delia said simply. "He wouldn't leave her alone, he followed her everywhere she went. Now she is just in the Kalos Region being followed by the press every which direction she goes along with that boy trying to get her to be his"

"She...she never told him" Ash whispered as his eyes widened and he dawned a thought. He stood up and said "Mom I need to go find her" when his mother nodded her head and gave him a knowing glance he smiled and ran towards the door. He opened it only to find a a hooded figure in a brown robe stoning at the doorway with his hand raised as if they were about to knock on the door.

"Can I...help you?" Ash asked.

"Are you Ash Ketchum?" The figure asked.

"Yes..why?" Ash asked when he heard the figure laugh and threw off the cloak. In from of him stood a boy who looked to be the same age as him, he wore a red jacket and a pair of blue jeans, his belt containing pokeballs sagged towards the ground. He had jet black hair and wore a red cap similar to Ash's on his head but it was facing backwards and a stubble of his hair poked through the parting of the hat. A Pikachu then scampered up onto his shoulder and the boy proudly yelled "My name is Red and I challenge you to a battle!"

* * *

**How was that for a second chapter guys? Few things to briefly touch up on though: This Red will be portrayed as the Red from the "Pokemon Adventures Manga" and will be an important character in this fic, I would also like to clear up confusion from the last chapter. A reader said that Serena lied and I would like to correct that statement, when Ash says "It wasn't a complete lie...was it?" It refers to him telling her that he was going to train which he did but just not in the way that would usually be implied. I got to go though guys! R&amp;R!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Wassup guys! It's your boy Nexxus here for yet another chapter of "The Strength of Ones Heart" I would like to thank everybody for their support for my second fic and I have to say I'm proud of myself. Let's be honest here, the "Betrayed Ones Return" was amateur; I'm going to get into this at the end of the chapter because when I originally wrote up this intro it was really long so it's better to add it to the end. Before you guys jump in however I have a question, in the description of the story it mentions a tournament and tbh I am having second doubts about that decision. Tournaments are an overused item and I don't know if I should include it, I mean I could either ad****d one or make this fic and lead it in a different path that may ****benefit the story as a whole. That's where you all come in, Would you as readers rather me include some tournament or just not include it? Regardless I await your decisions and tis time to jump into the world of Pokemon!**

**Daily quote: "PROMOTED!"- The Noob, Battlefield Friends.**

* * *

"Attention passengers, we will be landing in Lumiose City within the hour"

"We're almost there Pikachu" Ash said with an enthusiastic smile. He turned his head towards the oval shaped window and watched as the airplane flew past numerous flying type pokemon. He began to feel his stomach churn as he remembered why he was on the plane in the first place. Ash slowly sank into his seat and looked towards the boy next to him. The boy looked at Ash with a look of concern.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea Red..." Ash mumbled to himself.

"Bruh chill out! I said that I wasn't going to-"

"Not that Red...This. Going to Kalos" Ash sighed. Red took notice in Ash's sudden change of emotions and frowned. "When I think of the name "Ash Ketchum", I picture this optimistic and headstrong kinda guy, defiantly not this sad sack in front of me" Red said. When Ash's facial expression had not changed Red sighed. "This Selena chick-"

"Serena. Here name is Serena" Said Ash with a hint of agitation in his tone.

"Close enough" Red pouted. "So this Serena chick...you seem to care about her a lot" Red said.

"Yeah...we go way back" Ash said as a smile formed on his face. "We met back when we were kids and back in the day we were inseparable...that was until she had to move" Ash said as his smile slightly faded before it returned seconds later. "We actually ended up meeting again by sheer luck back when I was competing in the Kalos League, during that time I traveled with her as well as two of my other friends Clemmont and his little sister Bonnie. I actually didn't even remember her when we met each other again"

"Smooth" Red said sarcastically while rolling his eyes.

"Whatever" Ash grumbled. "After the League I...I was going to tell her how I felt but I choked. Turns out not only did the guy that beat me ask her out but she also liked another guy as well.

"Ouch" Red said with an emphasis on the "_H_"

"You have no idea..." Ash muttered.

"Actually I do..." Red sighed causing Ash to turn his head and look at his new traveling companion in surprise. "Really?" Ash asked with an unreadable facial expression.

"Yeah, but that's a story for another time" Red said before pointing towards the window. "Look!" He exclaimed. Ash turned his head towards the window to see a large tower off in the distance that was able to pierce the darkness. "Serena...I'm coming" Ash whispered with a small smile. His thoughts however were interrupted by the backwards cap-wearing boy

"Now that we're here now what? We gonna go and hunt this chick down? Red asked.

"No. There's someone I need to see first" Ash said.

* * *

"What do you mean I can't come with you?!" Red exclaimed. The Kanto duo found themselves standing at the base of the Lumiose City tower along with two siblings

"The first time you show up in four years and the first thing you do is dump this guy on us!" One of the siblings exclaimed. She had grown a bit since Ash had seen the little sister of the Lumiose City gym leader. To him she looked exactly the same only just a tad taller.

"Bonnie!" Her older sibling scolded. Like his sister, he had not changed physically except that he had grown quite a bit since Ash had seen him last.

"But Clemmont!-"

"No buts Bonnie! That was very rude, apologize!" Clemmont said chiding his little sister.

"Yeah! What he said!" Red said jumping into the conversation with a smug look cast upon his face.

"I'm sorry" Bonnie mumbled only for a sinister smile to form on the boy's face. "I'm sorry, what was that?" Red asked sarcastically as he taunted the little girl by raising his hand to his ear.

"I said I was sorry!" Bonnie yelled as her face grew red with anger prompting Red to laugh.

"That's what I though" Red chuckled.

"Whatever" Bonnie pouted before Clemmont walked over to Ash and left Red and Bonnie to bicker with each other. "So Ash...where have you been?" Clemmont asked causing Ash to groan loudly. " I am not going to get into this again in less than a single day" He exclaimed until he noticed Clemmont giving him a cross look. Ash sighed as he began to tell the long story of his four year journey but midway through his story Clemmont asked "So why is this Red character with you?"

* * *

"_Snor use body slam!"_

_"Dodge it and use water shrukien!"_

_"Snor use belly drum!"_

_Ash's mother sighed as she watched her son battle the stranger who had shown up at her door requesting-no, demanding a battle with Ash. She found herself looking back and forth between the battling pokemon as they have it their all and battled brilliantly and seemed evenly matched. Currently Red was down two pokemon while Ash still had a full roster of three that were battle ready._

_"Now Snor use mega punch!" Red commanded as the plump pokemon raised its fist in the air before charging towards its opponent at a speed greater than that of an ordinary Snorlax. Before Ash could even give a command he watched as his Pokemon take the attack head on and sent flying in the air before plummeting back towards the earth._

_'Who…who is this guy?' Ash wondered as he watched Greninja leap to his feet seemingly unfazed by the powerful punch. He quickly directed his attention back to the battle and yelled "Greninja use double team!" He watched as the agile water type Pokemon put its hands together before spreading his arms out and multiple copies of itself surrounded Snorlax._

_"Dang it!" Red exclaimed feeling frustrated. 'Come on think Red…' He thought to himself before his train of thought was interrupted by Ash commanding Greninja to use nigh slash, sending his pokemon a few feet backwards. "Snor no!" Red yelled._

_"Greninja let's finish this!" Ash yelled. "Greninja disperse your clones!" Ash watched as the copies of Greninja suddenly vanished into thin air before the real one stood in front of Snorlax. "Greninja use your shadow shuriken combo!"_

"_Shadow…Shuriken…Combo?" Red pondered aloud as he watched an arrogant smirk form on Ash's face. At first he was confused as he watched two of the throwing stars that were needed for Greninja's water shuriken attack form in both of Greninja's hands but felt his eyes widen as a shadow ball attack engulfed the two throwing stars. It took a few seconds but in a flash of purple light the throwing stars grew larger and larger until the throwing stars were now the size of chakrams (Fyi, chakrams are the weapons Axel uses in Kingdom Hearts :D). The chakrams were surrounded in a black aura and faint purple lines drifted off of them as the wind blew them away. Taking a battle stance, he looked to his trainer who gave a confident nod before lunging towards his opponent, furiously attacking it with a barrage of spinning attacks as the blades hit Snorlax until it gave a roar and fell to the ground defeated._

_"No way!" Red exclaimed as he recalled his pokemon. He dusted himself up and said "That was a good-hey where are you going?!"_

_"What do you mean?" Ash asked in a very confusing manner._

_"What do you mean what do I mean?!" Red exclaimed angrily, he did not think that Ash Ketchum would leave without even saying so much as a goodbye. "What, no "that was a good battle?" No "better luck next time?" Nothing at all?! So you are just going to leave without saying anything?!"_

_"O-Oh…sorry" Ash stammered feeling ashamed with his behavior._

_"What's up? I never thought the great Ash Ketchum would leave without saying goodbye to" Red asked feeling as if something was amiss._

_"I guess…my heads just somewhere else" Ash said as a frown formed on his face._

_"Well you better get it down from the clouds!" Red teased but gave Ash a worried look when he didn't crack even as much as a small chuckle "You ok dude?" Red asked._

_"I…no...I'm not ok" Ash said before turning around to walk away until he felt Red grab his arm._

_"Where do think you're going?" Red asked with a confused look cast upon his face._

_"Lumiose City" Ash answered much to Reds surprise._

_"The Kalos Region?" Red asked scratching his head._

"_Yeah, you ever been?" Ash asked as the duo began to walk down a dirt path away from Ash's house leaving his mother smiling at the sight of the two boys._

_"Nope, but it looks like I am now" Red replied as he put his arms behind his head in a carefree matter._

_"And why is that?" Ash asked._

_"Cause I'm going with you!" Red answered with a toothy grin._

_"Um…why?" Ash asked feeling lost._

_"Because that battle was such a bore! You didn't even try! Till then I am gonna follow you till I get the rematch I deserve! I want to fight Ash Ketchum with no holes barred!" Red exclaimed proudly._

_"You know what? I'd like that" Ash smiled_.

* * *

"This is the place" Ash muttered as he walked down a dark ally while he stared at the slip of paper that Clemmont had given him with the address of tavern where he would find Serena…or someone who would know where she was. _'This can't be right' _Ash thought to himself as he entered the tavern. "Please tell me she isn't in here…" Ash whispered anxiously. Ash walked over to the bar and took a seat. He nervously looked back and forth between the two older men sitting next to him, he was so nervous he didn't notice the bartender talking to me.

"Kid, hey kid!" The bartender said angrily.

"Who me?" Ash asked pointing to himself.

"No, the other shit head that I'm talking to" The bartender retorted making Ash flinch due to his choice of words. "What can I get ya? Gin? Scotch? Martini? Nah that's a pussy drink, you ain't no pussy are you son?"

"N-No sir" Ash stuttered feeling his face turn red.

"Well good cause a real man ain't drink no god damn martini's!" The Bartender exclaimed laughing loudly. "Now this here, this here son is a man's drink" he said as he pulled out two shot glasses and a large bottle out from under the counter. "This here is the best bottle of rum tou'll gond in all of Lumiose-No-The entire Kalos Region! This bottle of perfection was locally brewed by yours truly!"

"Um…no thank you?" Ash said as he watched the bartender full the two shot glasses.

"No thank you? No thank you?!" The bartender yelled angrily. "You better watch your mouth boy or you gonna get a ass kickin you best not be forgetting"

"No! You don't understand! I'm only 17, a minor!" Ash exclaimed.

"A minor you say?" The bartender said as a grim look appeared on his face. He leaned down on the bar and was now eye level with our raven haired hero. "Now you best be tellin' me why a fucking minor is in my bar. You tell me right now ya here?"

"I'm looking for a girl-"

"Kid I ain't playing no games!" The bartender growled.

"I'm looking for a girl named Serena" Ash exclaimed growing tired of the foul mouthed barkeep and how poorly he was being treated.

"Serena…Serena…Wait you mean the Kalos Queen!" The bartender exclaimed before laughing loudly clearly hysterical by Ash's request. "That's a good one kid, why you looking for that there nice pair of tits?" He said while wiping a tear from his eye. This comment made Ash clench his fists and it took ever ounce of self control to not throw a fist into the bartenders face.

"No. I'm looking for my friend" Ash growled.

"Now why would the great and mighty Kalos Queen be friends with a scrub like yourself?" He asked snidely.

"I'm not playing games, either you know where she is or you don't" Ash growled once again.

"Well hate to burst your bubble kid but I don't know where she is-"

"Oh…" Ash sighed.

"Hey shut up and let me finish!" The bartender yelled. "There now as I was saying, I don't know where she is BUT that guy over there DEFIENTLY does. I tell you that Caleb guy stalls that chick to no end! Between you and be I think he is obsessed with her"

"Thank you" Ash replied before walking over to the table that the bartender pointed at. As he grew closer he could hear a voice he recognized all to well.

"I tell you I was this close to sealing the deal, this close!" The boy exclaimed"

"No way!" Ash gasped when he identified the boy."Calem? Is that you?"

"Who said my name?" Calem slurred as he turned around to face Ash. In his right hand was an empty beer bottle and in his other was a unlit cigarette. "H-hey! I know you!"

"Yeah…my name is Ash" Ash said hesitantly clearly understanding why Serena did not want to be romantically involved with this boy.

"Oh my it's Ketchum! This is the guy I was tellin you about!" Calem slurred as he stood up and walked over to Ash and slung his arm around his neck practically relying on Ash to support him and keep him from falling.

"This is the guy you beat in the league?" One of Calem's cronies asked.

"Ketchum? For real? You better not be kidding!" Another one exclaimed. Ash however decided to take advantage of Calem's drunken state to push ahead with his true goal.

"Calem listen I have a question to ask you-"

Sure buddy old pal! Ask away" Calem said drearily.

"Where is Serena?" Ash asked.

"Oh Serena, those tits with that ass-" Calem began to say until his face made contact with Ash's fist knocking him to the floor. Clearly while Ash had not wanted to fight the barkeep he had no trouble punching the drunken slob that stood in front of him.

"Where is she?!" Ash bellowed.

"Chill dude, she is like at a performance right now. I think I'm gonna take a nap" Calem slurred before his head hit the ground.

"Serena…here I come" Ash whispered as he exited the tavern.

* * *

**Finally finished! Sort it took so long but I have been VERY busy, tonight I saw American Sniper with my dad and my word what a great movie! Highly recommend it. Few things first, one being that I will be portraying Red's personality off of that of well…Red from an Internet web series "Dick Figures" No homo it's just stick figures being well dicks it's by mondo media and they are hilarious! Secondly sorry about the language by the bartender. I guarantee you that I hate ever one of those words. I hate the word…p_u_s_s_y so it was awkward to type that. I wanted the bar tender to act one of those stereotypical assholes and what not. Also RIP Monty Oum, created of RWBY and animated of Red vs Blue. Lastly big shout out to Mighteanas Shadow for helping me figure out how to write better battle scenes. Thanks man and cause of you they are gonna be better. Slick line of advertising though, check out his fics especially "A little Christmas magic" and "Battles of the past" great fics for amour shippers to read. Adios! Sorry I was rushed with this outright cause I want to upload this ASAP!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hurro everybody! Tis I, NEXXUS! So I reuploaded last chapter, now I assume I have some explaining to do...ok basically typing the chapter on the site did not work Ehat so ever, it was all laggy and glitchy and just aggravating! So I downloaded Microsoft Word on my IPod and typed last chapter and I say that doing this worked fantastically! No errors what so every! Now I had formatted the chapters in word but when I uploaded it to the doc manager (what fanfic writers use to type chapters)mall the formatting disappeared; all the bold text, the italics, the page breaks, EVERYTHING! To ****top it all off was that I had not updated the story in two weeks prior to chapter 3 and I wanted everyone to have something new because I got a few messages from people asking if I abandoned the fic and the answer is no, absolutely not! I was afraid other people thought this and I was so frustrated with the glitches so I just uploaded the chapter as it was, you know to at least give you guys something! Anyways enjoy!**

**Daily Quote: "Snowballs? SNOWBALLS?! WHERE ARE THE FUCKING TWINKIES!"-Tallahassee, Zombieland (Great movie by the way, watch it!)**

* * *

"Come on Serena, chin up!"

"Its not that easy Shauna..."

"Of course it is! All you have to do is just tell yourself that you will do great and put on a big smile!" Said a brunette girl with her hair styled in pigtails. She wore a purple t-shirt that was hidden under her black demin jacket. She also had a red skirt that draped down to her knees and on her feet donned a pair of white trainers. Her pink purse was draped around her neck so it hung by her side? On her right wrist a dark purple colored bead bracket, each bead having a white symbol etched into it resembling a flower. A frown had formed on her face, she was clearly worried about her friend.

"You don't understand what it's like..." Replied the honey haired girl standing infront of Shauna. Her honey colored hair was tied up in a pony tail and her sapphire eyes had lost the spark of happiness that had once shown once upon a time. Unlike Shauna, she wore a dark red dress with the edges outlined in black. The dress ran down to her knees and inches below a pair of ruby heels had elevated her feet higher that usual. There was a small circular hole where her chest would be revealing a slight amount, but not a lot of cleavage. On her left shoulder a blue ribbon was stitched into the fabric that she cherished deeply, it had been given to her from someone that had a special place in her heart. Around her neck was a golden pendant with a ruby encrusted heart in the middle.

Shauna gave a frustrated with due to her friends behavior. Lately Serena had become more withdrawn and acting depressed, the reason why? Today was the day Ash had disappeared. "This is going to sound mean Serena just forget about him! Ash is gone and there is nothing you can do about it-"

"Ash is not dead!" Serena screamed loudly causing her friend to yelp in surprise. Feeling defeated and lost, Serena simply collapsed onto her knees and began to sob into her hands causing Shauna to feel guilty. She placed her hand on her distressed friends shoulder said "I'm sorry…"

"No Shauna…you're right" Serena whispered sadly.

"I am?" Shauna asked with a perplexed facial expression. Her eyes widened when she realized what Serena was saying. "Does this mean that-"

"No. It doesn't mean I'm over Ash quite yet, it will take some time but I think it's time to accept that fact that he…that he…that he-" Serena said trying to be brave and finish her sentence only to break down once more. Shauna let her friend cry for a few minutes, believing that she needed to get it out of her system. After Serena's sobbing ceased, Shauna noticed that Serena's mascara, not being waterproof, had started to run down her face. Taking her friends hand she said "Come on girl, let's go get you cleaned up"

* * *

"Thanks again Clemmont!" Ash said before he ran out the door with Pikachu in tow. After learning about Serena's performance Ash had returned to the Lumiose City's Gym Leader's home to inform him about Serena's whereabouts. When Clemmont told Ash where Serena would be performing Ash had immediately grabbed the yellow mouse and left the blonde haired gym leader alone with his little sister and Ash's new dysfunctional friend.

"I can't wait to see her again!" Ash cheered as he sprinted down the sidewalk. He felt his friend, who was sitting on his shoulder, give a small joy filled cry as well. As he ran towards his destination Ash could feel his heart beat increase. He shook his worries aside when he could see his target in the near distance, the Pokevision Stadium. The Pokevision Stadium was owned by the PR Video Studio Company, a company that claimed all rights to promotional video's that trainers could make with their Pokemon. The stadium was used for Pokemon Showcases, these showcases were performed by Pokemon Performers, these performers were similar to Pokemon Coordinators. the difference was that these showcases were exclusive to the Kalos Region and that instead of having Top Coordinators, Pokemon Showcases gave a title to a declared winner by naming them the "Kalos Queen" and for the past three years the title was still claimed by Kalos Queen Serena Yvonne. He could see strobe lights coming out from the stadium and quickened his pace, he wanted to get to the stadium before he missed anything important.

"Pika?" Asked the electric mouse Pokemon after noticed beads of sweat running down Ash's forehead. It took a few minutes for Pikachu's question to break Ash's concentration before slowing his pace and said "I'm ok buddy, just a bit nervous" He noticed Pikachu giving him a look of concern before patting his lifetime partner on the head. "I wouldn't lie to you, would I?" Ash asked.

"Chu!" Pikachu exclaimed happily causing Ash to smile. He could finally see the stadium and was about to run into it but he felt himself bump into something or rather someone.

"Hey kid, no cutting!" Exclaimed the girl that Ash had bumped into referring to the line in front of them. She had neon colored hair that was put up in a ponytail tied by a blue hair tie, she wore a sleeveless blue dress with a skirt with white frills that ran down to her knees. Her forearms were covered in puffy white warm ups and blue fingerless gloves protecting her hands. Her white ankle socks were accompanied by a par of sapphire colored heels. Ash took into account that many features of her outfit looked similar to the Hoenn native Pokemon Altaria. "Sorry miss!" Ash apologized only to be mimicked by Pikachu as well causing the girl to giggle.

"It's ok" The girl smiled. "You must really wanna see this showcase if you were running that fast"

"Yeah, I'm going to be seeing a friend participating" Ash said.

"Oh really? Do tell" The girl said.

"Her name is Serena" Ash said with a proud smile.

"You mean the Kalos Queen?" The girl gasped. "That's crazy! How do you know her?"

"We were childhood friends" Ash replied feeling a bit nervous with all the questions he was being asked.

"Really! That's cool!" The girl smiled. A faint blush appeared on her cheeks before she said "My name is Lisia, I'm a coordinator from the Hoenn Region, and you?"

"My name is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!" Ash said with a toothy grin.

"Pallet Town? That is really far away from Kalos isn't it?" Lisia asked.

"Yeah…I guess it is" Ash answered as he nervously scratched his head. He noticed Lisia staring at him before asking "So why are you here?"

"I was thinking about participating in Pokemon Showcases, so I figured why not go and see the Queen perform herself!" Lisia beamed.

"That's cool" Ash said not noticing the blush on the Coordinators cheeks. As the duo continued to move closer and closer to the entrance of the stadium Lisia felt herself become embarrassed by how close she was to her new friend. "Did you come here with everybody?" She asked catching Ash off guard.

"No, why?" Ash asked without a clue as to what she meant causing Pikachu to face palm due to his trainers denseness.

"No reason" Lisia replied rather hastily. Ash simply shrugged it off but Pikachu kept his eyes glued to the newcomer feeling as if something wasn't right about her. Moments later Ash found himself at the front of the line, Lisia had handed a burly man at the door a ticket before entering the stadium. Ash went to follow her but was stopped by the bouncer.

"Ticket please" the bouncer said in a rather serious tone.

"Ticket? I don't have a ticket" Ash said feeling rather rather confused.

"No ticket means no entry" The bouncer said. He was about to usher a heartbroken Ash away until someone stopped him.

"Oh there you are Ash! I thought I lost you there for a minute!" Lisia exclaimed as she walked over to the very confused Kanto native.

"Do you know this boy Ma'm?" The bouncer asked.

"Of course I do! He's my boyfriend!" Lisia said cheerfully before walking over to Ash and giving him a kiss on the cheek causing both their faces to blush deeply.

"Does he have a ticket Ma'm?" The bouncer asked.

"Well…funny story-" Lisia said before she was interrupted by the bouncer.

"No ticket means no entry, I'm sorry miss but you will be going to this performance alone" The bouncer said sternly causing Lisia panic. She sighed knowing that there was only one way to convince the bouncer to let her in as well as Ash and she did not like the method.

"Do you know who I am?" Lisia asked cutely.

"Am I supposed to?" The bouncer asked sternly.

"My name is Lisia Grey!" Lisia said striking a signature pose that Ash certainly did not recognize but one that the bouncer recognized. His eyes widened before his jaw dropped and exclaimed "Lisia Grey?! As in the niece of world renowned Coordinator Wallace?!"

"The one and only" Lisia replied with a wink causing the bouncer to drop to his knees and beg her for forgivness. "I'm so sorry for not recognizing the Contest Queen! Forgive me please! My daughter is a huge fan and she would hateme if she found out that I disrespected you in any way!"

"Um it's ok?" Lisia replied clearly embarrassed by the grown man practically sobbing on the ground.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" The bouncer exclaimed. "Can I have an autograph for my daughter please?" He asked eagerly while he pulled out a black pen and a used napkin.

"Um…sure?" Lisia said hesitantly as she took the pen in one hand and took the used napkin in the other by holding the only a corner of it with two of her fingers that she deemed was clean. Much to her dismay she wrote a small message and her signature on the napkin before handing back both the napkin and the pen to the bouncer. "So…can me and my boyfriend leave now?" She asked with a look of disgust as the bouncer rubbed the napkin against his cheek. She simply shrugged, not caring if he had said yes or no and took Ash's hand and pulled him towards the enterence.

* * *

"What just happened?" Ash asked as the duo sat down in the front seats of the stadium.

"Well…the cat's out of the bag now so I guess I can tell you" Lisia sighed. "My name is Lisia Grey, as I said before I am a coordinator from the Hoenn Region…thing thing I left out was that I am the Contest Queen of Hoenn"

"Contest Queen? What's that?" Ash asked his friend. He had never heard of such a term before and he noticed Pikachu with a similar expression on his face as his own.

"You know how someone becomes a Top Coordinator by winning the Grand Festival right?" She asked before Ash nodded his head. "Well a Contest Queen is someone who has risen above the title of Top Coordinator due to the fact that they have a relative of a higher title, and because Uncle Wallace is a world famous Coordinator and the former gym leader of Sootopolis City, and the former Hoenn League Champion, that kind of gives me a lot of expectations to live up to so I was dubbed a Contest Queen and seeing how I am the only one in the world at the given moment people kind of make a big deal about it"

"I see" Ash replied before asking "But why did you say I was your boyfriend and you know…kiss me?" This question caused an awkward silence between the two before Lisia said "Well…it was kind of one of those in the heat of the moment things, it was the first thing that I thought of to get you in here"

"Thank you" Ash said softly with a deep blush that was mutually shared with Lisia.

"It's fine, besides it is obvious that you care for Serena a lot and you of all people shouldn't miss this show just because you didn't have a ticket" She said with a deep blush before scooting a bit closer to Ash without him noticing. The lights suddenly darkened and Lisia screamed enthusiastically "It's starting!"

* * *

"This is it Serena, your time to shine, it's your time to start over and begin a new life" Shauna said as she looked her friend in the eyes and placed her hands on her shoulders. When she noticed the hesitation evident in Serena's facial expression she tightened her grip on the Kalos Queen's shoulders. "This is what he would want Serena, Ash would want to to do this. You that he would right? Shauna asked nervously.

"I…I know…He would want me to be happy" Serena said sadly before Shauna released her from her grasp. When she could hear the crowd chanting her name in the near distance Shauna gave her a tight hug and said "Now get out there an give them a show they will never forget"

"Right" Serena nodded with a smile before her partner for the night, Braxien. As she walked closer and closer towards the runway she stopped momentarily and sadly whispered "Don't give up till it's over…does this mean I just gave up?"

* * *

"It's happening Ash! It's really happening!" Lisia squealed. She began to jump up and down enthusiastically causing the Pallet Town native to sweat drop due to his new friends actions. He felt his heart beat begin to increase and looked towards his partner who seemed to share the same amount of enthusiasm as the Contest Queen.

"I can't believe after all these years I finally get to see her again…" Ash whispered with a smile that he could not get rid of even if he wanted to.

* * *

"This is it…no turning back" Serena whispered nervously. She turned to Braxien who gave her a look of confidence, her starter Pokemon knew how much pain that her trainer had endured after her crush's disappearance. She watched as the curtain opened and felt her eyes water briefly before immediately wiping the tears that threatened to ruin her debut.

_Forgive me Ash_

* * *

"IT'S HAPPENING!" Lisia screeched causing Ash to cover his ears momentarily. He felt his cheeks redden at the sight of his childhood friend. "She hasn't changed one bit" he whispered to himself. He watched as the Kalos Queen walked down the run, Braxien by her side, but he could tell that something was bothering her. "Oh no…" He whispered after remembering what his mother had told him.

_It's my fault_

* * *

Serena continued to walk down the runway feeling her composure slowly evaporating with every passing second. She became overwhelmed with memories, memories of him. '_He's the reason I am even standing here…the reason why I had a dream!'_ She thought to herself as she closed her eyes trying to stop the tears that had began to flow down her cheeks.

_I miss you so much_

* * *

Ash watched as Serena stopped walking down the runway and became worried. He heard the confusion and many questions being asked by members of the crowd. The flashing of cameras suddenly began and he could hear people commentating on his friends performance.

_I made her like this_

* * *

'_It's my fault! It's all my fault! I'm the reason Ash is dead!'_ She thought to herself before collapsing to her knees finally releasing her bottled up emotions. She didn't care what the crowd thought of her, she just wanted one thing. She wanted him back.

_Why did you have to break my heart?_

* * *

"Ash what's wrong?" Lisia asked after noticing her friend gritting his teeth out of frustration due to the things he could hear people saying.

"She's given up…" Ash whispered sadly. He watched as Serena collapsed to her knees before sobbing into her hands feverishly. He could hear the insults people were throwing at her and the things they threw at her. "This is my fault..." Ash whispered through his clenched teeth. He suddenly stood up from his seat much to Lisia's surprise.

"Ash what are you-"

"Serena! Never give up until it's over!" Ash yelled loudly trying to has his voice overpower the rest of the stadium. He felt Pikachu hop onto his shoulder and mimic his trainer.

"Pika Pi!"

_Let me fix it then_

* * *

"_Serena! Never give up until it's over!_"

"That voice!" She whispered through her choked sobs. Believing it to be her imagination she brushed away the thought of her friend being back and was about to break down once more until one thing sealed the deal.

"_Pika Pi!_"

_This isn't real_

* * *

"Serena! Get up! Get up!"

"Pika!"

_When two lives meet another_

* * *

"It can't be…Ash is that you?" Serena whispered as she slowly looked towards where the voices were coming from.

_Something is born_

* * *

"Serena!" Ash yelled enthusiastically when he saw Serena look his way.

_Our hearts rejoice_

* * *

"Ash!" Serena screamed happily before leaping to her feet. She did t care what happened from this point forwards, she wouldn't care of her career was ruined because of this; she just wanted to be with him.

_Two hearts_

* * *

Ash felt a smile form on his face so large when he saw Serena running his way. That was until…

"Oh no!" Lisia exclaimed. Ash watched in horror when he watched Serena's eyes become dilated and trip off of the runway. "No!" Ash screamed.

_Become_

* * *

Serena felt herself lose her grip on reality and began to feel herself drifting away. She was so far gone that she hadn't noticed herself trip only to be caught and be held in a pair of strong arms that she recognized all too well. Ash she lay limply in Ash's arms she didn't hear Ash screaming her name

_One_

* * *

**Sodry guys but I have to make this quick cause the iPads gonna die. R&amp;R GUYS!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sup guys! I have returned! So I would like to thank everybody for the reviews and I am glad people enjoyed the way I ended the chapter, I took a risk and it turned out people liked it so yay! Also if you guys remembered (probably not) during the Betrayed Ones Return I made mention of an app called "Video Games Amino" it's a great place where gamers of all kinds can just kinda chill and what not. It's like Facebook but for gamers and WITHOUT ALL THOSE SELFIES! Now not only is it available on the IOS App Store but now is available for Android Devices! If you guys end up getting it make to to follow me lol Nexxus176 FTW! Anyways enjoy!**

**Daily Quote: "I AM CABOOSE! THE VEHICLE DESTROYER!" Michael J. Caboose Red Vs Blue**

* * *

"Serena…this is all my fault isn't it?" Ash said softly. He now sat in a room in the hospital that Serena was rushed to after her fall during her performance. She laid in front of him on the hospital cot, eyes shut with an expressionless face. Her breathing was slow but did not show signs of any medical abnormalities much to Ash's relief. Ash held Serena's hand in his own as he stared at his childhood friend. He could hear the many voices through the window coming from the entrance. He didn't need to get up to know what was happening, he had seen it first hand the paparazzi, like a bunch of ants blindly following their Queen. Ash knew what they wanted, they wanted answers, they didn't care where they came from or how accurate they were, regardless of what they would have been told they would twist the story and slap it on the cover of a tabloid magazine. The police had to come just to barricade off the hospital when fights had began to brew, arrests were made and Officer Jenny had done her best but they just kept coming until there were to many so they just sat in front of the glass doors, pounding on them demanding answers. Ash just sat there among the chaos as if he was in another world, all that mattered to him was the girl in front of him. He had refused to leave her side for hours and true to his word he did not.

"Serena…I'm so sorry" Ash whispered. With his free hand he brushed a strand of hair away from her eyes and smiled.

"Mr. Ketchum?" A voice asked prompting him to turn around to see Nurse Joy standing in the doorway. "I'm afraid visiting hours are over, you have to leave" Ash simply nodded his head knowing he couldn't win this battle. He simply stood up and walked towards the door but before he could pass through he felt Nurse Joy place a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you for cooperating, she is pretty lucky to have a friend like you"

"Thank you" Ash said softly before walking out of the room.

* * *

"_Ash?" Serena gasped as she found herself on the floor. She was back at the stadium during her performance. She frantically looked around, she was positive that she had heard Ash calling her name, she could have sworn she had seen him right where she stood. Her thoughts were broken when she felt something hit her elbow. She looked down to find that someone had thrown a beverage at her. She turned to the crowd and watched in abject horror as the members of the crowd threw things at her and criticized her._

_Boo! _

_Hiss!_

_You suck!_

_How could things have gone wrong so quickly? Serena felt her eyes water when she realized what she had done to her career, she had thrown it all away for a mere illusion of what she wished was there. With every hit she took from the projectiles thrown at her she was slowly forced to her knees, she watched as a someone walked up to her. How did she know? She could see the sneakers that stood in front of her. She looked up and saw the boy she thought she had seen, Ash Ketchum, wearing his attire from the Sinnoh Region._

_"A-Ash?" She stammered. She reached for his hand only for it to pass through his as if it was a ghost. She watched as he slowly began to drift away before she got up and ran towards him. "Ash! Stop please!" She screamed as she tried to catch up to him but with every step she took he drifted away farther and farther until a bright light engulfed the two. Ash now stood in front of her, she slowly reached for his hand only for it to once again faze through him. Behind Ash a darkness formed and slowly made its way towards them. She looked at her friend in fear as he said "You're the reason I'm dead" and everything turned dark._

* * *

"Ash don't go!" Serena screamed a she bolted up in the cot with tears in her eyes, "Ash?" She whispered when she saw where she was. "It was just a nightmare…" Serena whispered thankfully. She looked towards the window and could see the starry sky illuminating the night causing her to smile. "He…he would have liked this" She whispered referring to the starry sky. She became confused when the concept of waking up in a hospital settled in. Why was she here? Did she hurt herself? She managed to stand up with ease so she crossed it off the list. Why was she here?

"Was that nightmare…real?" She wondered aloud. "No…Ash was in it so it couldn't be real could it?" Her train of thought was broken when she noticed something sitting on the windowsill, upon approach she realized it was a letter and a pokeball. She picked it up and began to read it.

_This release form gives permission for_

_Serena Yvonne_

_To be relieved of medical attention at the Lumiose Medical Center_

_Effective immediately_

_With provide escort_

_-Satoshi_

"Satoshi? Who's that?" Serena mumbled to herself before picking up the pokeball. "Is this my private escort?" Serena asked herself as she clicked the button on the ball. She felt her eyes widen at the Pokemon standing before her, she had never seen one like it before.

"_Master awaits you"_

"Master? Um…" Serena questioned nervously. Before she could continue her sentence she felt the Pokemon grab her tightly. She screamed as they were absorbed in a bright light before disappearing into thin air…

* * *

"Pika?"

"I'm sure it will work out Pikachu" Ash said with a confident smile. The duo had traveled rather quickly to the Santalune Forest, far away form Lumiose City. Ash was sitting on a fallen log next to Pikachu as the only thing piercing the darkness of the night was the flickering flame of their camp fire. The Stars had slowly fazed out of the sky leaving only a few left to watch down upon the earth, Ash looked up briefly to see a shooting star only to be reminded of the the wish Pokemon Jirachi, a Pokemon said to wake up every Millennium to grant wishes for only one week, he remembered meeting the Wish Pokemon and saving it from a wicked magician who was content of resurrecting Groudon from an odd fossil but it didn't exactly work the way he thought it would. He chuckled momentarily as he began to reflect on his entire journey, from riding on the back of a Lugia to trying to stop a mischievous Hoopa. He then remembered the friends that he had with him at every twist and turn of his journey, there was the red headed Cerulean City Gym Leader Misty who he had stolen a bike from, the Breeder who wished to become a Pokemon Doctor, Brock, that name made a wider smile grow on his face. The dark skinned man had traveled with him the longest out of every single one of his friends, he had followed Ash from the Indigo League all the way to the Lilly of the Valley Conference; Ash silently thanked the Pokemon breeder, knowing that he wouldn't be here without his help. Then there was the Pokemon Watcher Tracey, he had traveled with Ash and Misty during their adventures throughout the Orange Islands and was there to watch him become champion of the Orange League; the calm artist was now Professor Oak's personal assistant. He then thought of May, she was an interesting character. May was the only one to match his appetite and that was defiantly something that hadn't been done before or ever since. She wanted to become a top coordinator and with Ash's guidance she did though he wasn't there in person to see it. Her little brother Max saw Ash as his idol and strived to be the trainer he was and beat him in a Pokemon battle. Then there was Dawn, the blunette with the Piplup…whenever she said no need to worry THAT'S when Ash worried the most. Then there was Iris, his least favorite companion, though he would never say that to her face, and Cilian who was defiantly something else. He then remembered the last league he had participated in, the Kalos League. He felt a small frown appear on his face, remembering that he had unknowingly caused the one person he cared about the most so much pain. He began to think about her, about Serena, until his thoughts were interrupted by a flash of light. He and Pikachu both shielded their eyes, not wanting to be blinded by the light. As the light began to fade he could hear a voice he reorganized all to well, her voice.

"Let me go! Someone help!" The girl screamed as Ash's pokemon held her in front of him with her back turned to Ash.

"Thank you Gallade" Ash said.

"_You are very welcome master" _Gallade said telepathically. He however still held Serena so her back was turned to Ash. Serena however became aware of Ash's presence but did not recognize it due to the fact she was still blinded by fear.

"I don't know who you are Satoshi but you let me go right now!" Serena, screeched still unable to see his face. Ash simply chuckled before walking closer to Serena. "Satoshi?" Ash asked playfully. "I don't know anyone with that name"

"Let me go! Stop lying!" Serena yelled angrily. Her cries for help were however interrupted when Ash spoke again. "I do know one Satoshi though, Ash Satoshi Ketchum"

"How dare you say such a thing!" Serena exclaimed angrily before finally breaking free of Gallades' grip. She angrily turned around and was about to yell at her "kidnapper" only for her anger to suddenly evaporate. She felt her eyes widen like saucers when she saw the boy standing in front of her. It was too good to be true, it couldn't be another nightmare…could it?

"A-A-Ash?" Serena stammered as her eyes began to water. She slightly moved forward and said "This can't be happening, he's dead!" This simple phrase caused Ash to frown momentarily. He suddenly gave her a toothy grin and playfully asked "What ever happened to never giving up until it's over?" He felt a new force ram into him and felt hair brush his cheek briefly. He felt a pair of arms wrapped tightly around his back and could hear the feverish sobbing of the one he held closest to his heart. He simply smiled and returned the gesture by wrapping his arms around her waist. He suddenly felt Serena tighten her grip on him causing him to smile. He moved his lips towards her ears and whispered "I'm back" Though Serena did not give him any sort of reply he had expected this sort of reaction. Ash moved one of his arms onto her back and gently rubbed it trying to calm down his friend.

"I-I-I missed you so much!" Serena managed to choke out as her feverish crying continued and much to Ash's enjoyment she had not lessened her grip on him, for she was afraid that if she did then the boy she loved would slip away. While Ash held her in his arms she felt overjoyed, an emotion she had not had in a very long time. Memories flew through her mind about the utter internal turmoil she had gone through since his disappearance, she just couldn't believe that after all this time Ash had finally returned, he had returned to her and this was a moment she wished to never forget. She could feel her heart beating out of her chest, blood racing through her veins, and the love she had for this boy. Throughout her sobbing Ash could hear her trying to form incoherent sentence and phrases but was unable to to which made his smile grow. "You can let go now Serena" Ash said softly and with much hesitation, she reluctantly released him after a few minutes. She stared into Ash's eyes and a quivering smile formed on her face. Much to Ash's surprise, Serena had once again pulled him into another tight embrace.

"Ash…is this?" She asked feeling unwilling to finish her sentence.

"This is real Serena, I'm here to stay" Ash replied softly as she released him from her grasp. Much to Serena's horror, Ash began to walk away from her. "Don't go!" She exclaimed causing Ash to turn around. Ash simply sat down on the log by the fire and made a gesture suggesting that he wanted her to sit next to him. Relief washed over her as she made her way over to the raven haired boy and sat next to him, though both of them refused to look at each other and instead both stared into the fire as if this was all a dream with both of them sharing the similar thought of not wanting to be woken if it truly was just a silly dream. After a moment of silence Ash decided to speak up. "So you're the Kalos Queen now?" Ash asked only for Serena to not reply worrying the boy from Pallet Town. "Serena?" Ash asked nervously.

"Where were you?" She asked monotonically making Ash cringe. How could the girl who was just sobbing in his arms in joy suddenly become so emotionless?

"I guess you deserve an answer…" Ash sighed as he got off of the log and lied down on a patch of grass, moments later Serena mimicked this action as well. After a brief moment of silence Ash cleared his throat and began to speak. He began to tell Serena of his journey throughout the world, everything from having the ability to summon Reshiram whenever he wanted to all the struggles he had endured, during the story Ash would have to stop briefly now and then due to Serena beginning to cry and by the time the story was over her eyes were bloodshot and even still she cried for a good few minutes and every time she did Serena would feel Ash's hand gently holding her own. After she calmed down a moment of silence passed before she asked another question "But…why did you leave Ash?" She asked sadly. Ash began to feel like he had a guilty conscience after remembering one of the reasons he had left.

"I…I just wanted to get stronger" Ash said confidently but not enough for the pokemon performer to believe him entirely

"But why Ash? Why didn't you tell anybody? Why did you tell me?" She asked sadly making Ash frown when he noticed how much she had emphasized the last part.

"I just...I needed to do it alone, I didn't want any distractions" Ash said half heartedly.

"Does that mean that I was just a…distraction Ash?" Serena asked sadly and noticed Ash cringe slightly. "I was, wasn't I? I'm the reason you didn't win the Kalos League, the reason why you went away…" This simple sentence made Ash clench his fists feeling angry at himself for how much pain he had caused his friends during his absence. "It's not like that…I just needed to be alone and everything was a distraction"

"Even…me?" She asked softly and when Ash didn't give her an answer she put her face in the palms of her hands. "Serena…" Ash sighed as he pulled her closer to him, he gently rubbed her back and waited for Serena to pull her face away from her palm and look at him; once she and done this her hands were placed in her lap. Ash took both of her hands in his own so she was looking him directly in his eyes and said "You are not the reason I left Serena, nobody made me want to do this because I wanted to do it. I have tried so many times and come so close to achieving my dream but setback after setback I would find myself simply repeating the same steps just in another region only to meet the same end results. I needed to go out there and find out what I am going to do during my life, I bonded with every single one of my Pokemon and they have reached levels of potential that I would never have seen had I not done this. Doing this made me stronger, and I know that wherever I go next will be when I complete phase one of my dream"

"Are you going to leave again if you fail?" Serena asked nervously causing Ash to think about what he actually would do if it happened again, he knew that he would just leave again but he couldn't tell her that, Serena deserved better than that. "I guess I'll just keep traveling until I succeed" He said simply. He watched Serena shift uncomfortable it seemed to be that she was suppressing something. "Is everything ok?" He asked.

"Can I…go with you again?" Serena asked as her cheeks turned to a light shade of pink which Ash did not notice much to her relief.

"Of course" Ash said with a smile. He once again felt Serena wrap her arms around him and rest her head on his shoulder. She felt overjoyed that the boy she loved so much was finally back, the boy that had made her feel so good about life. She felt safe as Ash wrapped his arms around her tight and she quietly sighed. "Thank you Ash" She whispered into his ear.

"Any time Serena, any time" Ash replied with a smile. A sudden gust of wind flew by causing Serena to shiver as the cold wind hit her skin. She suddenly felt herself being lifted off the ground and shrieked in surprise as Ash carried her in his arms over to the fire. He placed her down and took off his jacket and placed it on her shoulders. "Better?" He asked as he sat down next to her.

"Better" Serena agree as she swiftly wrapped one of her arms around Ash's and placed her head on his shoulder and cuddled into the crook of his neck resulting in both friends to form a deep blush that neither of them noticed. Serena felt her heart pound when Ash gently leaned his head against hers making the honey haired teen internally squeal. She had never thought that she would have a night like this ever, it was just so perfect, the boy she loved was back and she was with him and she wouldn't change any of it. Her mind drifted towards her performance and felt slightly disappointed with herself knowing that she had broken down in the middle of the runway yet unbeknown to her was that Ash was thinking about the same exact thing but in a different context in which he felt guilty.

"Serena?"

"Yes Ash?"

"I'm sorry if I ruined your career...maybe if I had not shown up then none of this never would have happened…" Ash apologized sadly. This statement made Serena's heart break upon realization that Ash blamed himself for what had happened earlier. She pulled herself out of her comfy position and placed her hands onto her kneecaps much to her and Ash's dismay, but neither of them would admit that now would they?

"Ash none of that matters" Serena said emotionlessly. "If that never happened then I wouldn't be here with you…I wouldn't know that you're…that you're…" She began to say as she gripped her kneecaps tighter. Her eyes were shut tightly and tears silently dripping onto her legs. She felt Ash once again take her hand in his own making her smile. "I would have never known that you were back, that is something I would never want to give up on. I wouldn't trade that moment for anything, because if it didn't I would never have found you again, I don't care what happens to my career now because if this didn't happen I wouldn't be here with you right now. I would be sitting alone in my house feeling upset about everything. If this does ruin my career Ash…thank you" She said softly making Ash have a quivering smile and pull Serena into another hug much to her surprise.

"I'll make this right, I promise" Ash said soothingly as he gently ran his hand through her hair making Serena blush at how close she was to him. She wrapped her arms around him once again and placed her head on his chest and felt Ash return the gesture. She had not been as happy at any point during her life than she did now, she simply snuggled him making him blush. As much as they both enjoyed the moment all good things must come to an end as Serena gave a cute yawn making Ash smile. He moved his head and placed it above her own and said "I think somebody is tired"

"I'm not tired" Serena pouted cutely, not wanting to move from the warming embrace she was receiving. Much to her dismay she yawned again and felt herself lighten her grip on Ash and heard him chuckle. She felt herself beginning to space out and felt something lift her into the air. Ash carried her over to a nearby tree and placed her down against it do that her back was leaning on the trunk. He turned around and quickly walked over to his backpack and pulled out a blanket and placed it on her. She could feel herself drifting away but she refused to, not yet, she had one more question to ask as the raven haired boy walked away.

"Where are you going?" She yawned and Ash gave her a quizzical look. "I'm going to sleep over here" he said.

"You're going to get cold without a blanket Ash" Serena said with a concerned look on her face. An idea came to mind as she wrapped the blanket around her and walked over to the tree where Ash had planned on going to sleep by.

"Serena, what are you-" Ash asked only for Serena to put her finger on his lips and effectively shut the Kanto Native up. She sat down next to him and wrapped the blanket around them both. "I can have you playing hero all the time Ash" She smiled as she placed her head onto his shoulder and felt Ash flinch. Did he not like that she was doing this? She began to pull her head off of his shoulder only to feel Ash take her hand once more.

"It's ok, you have my permission" Ash whispered making Serena blush. "Thank you Ash" she whispered and returned once again to the position that she enjoyed so dearly. Minutes later she heard Ash snoring and quietly giggled as she snuggled closer to him. "I love you Ash…sweet dreams" she whispered before she felt herself drift away as well.

* * *

**Soooo how was that? Was it worth the wait? I think it is and TO ALL DESTINY PLAYERS XUR IS SELLING THE EXOTIC PULSE RIFLE RED DEATH! Anyways…Hope you enjoyed it guys and R&amp;R**

**-Nexxus**


	6. Chapter 6

Y**ESSSSS IT FINALLY HAPPENED! I CAN DIE NOW I GOT FATEBRINGER IN DESTINY! IT IS FUCKING SEXY! I No lifed the shit out of that gun, literally within the 24 hours after receiving it I had already maxed it out. But anyways the reason this took so wrong is because well…I had some planning to do for the future of this story and boy oh boy I've worked some magic. I've developed a brand new plot that will blow people away! R&amp;R guys!**

**Daily Quote: "Hello Internet! Welcome to Game Theory…" Matpat (Youtube channel: Game Theory)**

* * *

The sun had finally risen and a new day had dawned, particularly for the Kalos Queen. She was propped up against the tree in which she and her crush had fallen asleep the night before. Though deep in slumber she still had the same smile on her face that she had when she had fallen asleep in the crook of Ash's neck. Her head began to slowly slip away from the tree until her head plummeted to the ground resulting in a frightened yelp from the honey haired girl.

"Ouch!" Serena mumbled as she rubbed the back of her head. She looked around and memories of the previous night made her smile with the realization that her Ash was back. Serena shook away her thoughts as her cheeks grew slightly red when she realized she had unintentionally claimed ownership of her friend. She continued to mentally scold herself until she noticed something that caused her heart to skip a beat. Where was the raven haired boy she had fallen asleep with?

"Ash?" Serena called feeling anxiety beginning to take over her thoughts. "Ash?" She called frantically looking around the campsite. "No! No, no, no!" She exclaimed. Tears formed in her eyes due to the first thing she had thought of.

_He…He left me again_

"No…" Serena whispered before dashing off into the distance. Tears ran down her cheeks as she weaved her way through the forest, not caring that vines had tore at her closing or that she had tripped over the vines and roots that were in her path. She found herself at a river and finally collapsed to her knees and began to sob feverishly into the palms of her hands. The same thoughts just kept repeating in her head over and over.

_He left me again…_

She continued to sob and taking short pauses to catch her breath before returning to her distraught state. She finally looked up from her hands and began to stare at her reflection in the water. She could see her bloodshot eyes still leaking tears and her quivering lip. Had she done something wrong? Did she make him leave her again? She tightly shut her eyes in an effortless attempt to stop the tears before finally opening them to see her reflection again. She felt her eyes widen when she saw a new face appear, the raven haired hero's face to be exact. His eyes were full of worry and concern as he knelt down to her.

"Serena?" Ash asked in a hushed tone.

"Where did you go?" Serena asked sadly causing Ash to silently curse himself for his poor judgment. "I woke up before you and you looked so peaceful and I didn't want to wake you" Ash answered.

"Oh…" Serena sighed. She realized how childish she had just acted and frowned upon it. "I'm sorry about that" She said nervously.

"It's ok" Ash replied with his trademark toothy grin causing Serena to blush. "Thank you" Serena whispered. She stood up and wiped her eyes before looking at her friend. She simply walked by him without a word and stared into the water again. She felt Ash walk over and stand next to her as the duo stared at their reflections in the water. Serena began to slightly inch closer to Ash with a heavy blush and neither of these to her relief were noticed by the boy with auburn eyes. When she was practically brushing his side she noticed him throw her a glance before looking back into the water. The pair simply stared at their reflections as if they were in a trance but it was only broken by Serena saying "The water is so pretty"

"Yeah, I guess it is" Ash smiled before waving to the water and was amused when he saw the reflection mimic his actions. "It's just like a mirror" Ash stated making Serena think back to a memory from their journey.

"Ash do you remember what happened at Reflection Cave?" Serena asked.

"You mean when I was sucked into that mirror world?" Ash asked to which Serena nodded her head. "Man, that place was a whole new kind of weird. Clemmont was a fast runner, Bonnie was well…Bonnie, mirror Ash was a crybaby and you were…really mean" Ash said.

"Oh…" Serena mumbled sadly. "I'm not mean, am I?" She asked.

"Of course not!" Ash exclaimed. "You're one of the nicest people I know!" He said causing the Kalos Queen to blush. "It's nice to hear that now and again" Serena replied.

_Especially when it's from you Ash_

* * *

"Mime?"

"Yes Mimey I'm worried too but I think Ash will be fine" Delia spoke confidently inside her little cozy home in Pallet Town. She sat on the sofa with a bowl of popcorn and was watching "Triple C's cooking show" also known as the "CCC Cooking Show" The three C's stood for Cilian, Cress, and Chili; the three former Striaton City gym leaders now simply ran their five star restaurant and their own television show. On the coffee table in front of her she had placed a small notebook and a pencil to write down any recipes that she found interesting.

"Mimey it's happening!" Delia squealed as the opening credits appeared on the screen.

_Today we will be making a dish that is exclusive to the Unova Region!_

_Well more exclusive to Castelia City rather than the entire region Chili_

_What's that supposed to mean Cress!_

_Now, now brothers; let's relax for a moment. Today we will be preparing a dozen of Castelia Cities finest Castelia Cones!_

_That's right Cilian, first we need a mixing bowl, a gallon of moo moo milk…._

At this point Delia had began to frantically scribble down ingredients in a rather excited manner. She had remembered Ash telling her about the delicious ice cream treat from the Unova Region and was excited to try one from her own home!

"Mr Mime, do you know if we have any milk left in the fridge?" Delia asked the mime pokemon. Mr Mime shook his head sadly causing Delia to sigh. She pulled out the remote and paused the program and walked over to Mr. Mime. "I'm going to go out and get some of the ingredients, can you finish writing down the instructions Mimey?" She asked.

"Mime Mr Mime!" The psychic type nodded his head enthusiastically before scrambling over to the sofa and unpaused the tv and began to work on Delia's request. "Thank you Mimey!" Delia said happily as she pulled out her purse and made her way over to the door. "I'll be back in a bit-huh?' Delia stated when she heard a knocking on the door. She worked over and open the door to find a girl she had never seen before.

"Is this the Ketchum Residence?" The girl asked.

"Yes, can I help you with something?" Delia asked in a cheerful matter.

"Is Ash home right now?" The girl asked excitedly.

"No, I'm sorry. He went out to go find a friend" Delia said while sadly shaking her head.

"Oh…" The girl sighed sadly and Delia began to chuckle.

"Have you ever had a Castelia Cone before?" Delia asked.

"No, why?" The girl asked.

"Well if you help me go to the store and pick up a few things I will give Ash a call and tell him to come home because there is a cute girl looking for him" Delia said with a wink causing the girl to blush.

"Um sure Mrs. Ketchum" the girl said with a deep blush on her face.

"No need to be so formal, just call me Delia!" She chuckled. "And you are…?"

"Oh, that! My name is…."

* * *

"Hey Serena?"

"Yes Ash?"

"Can I…ask you a question?" Ash asked nervously with a minor blush which Serena took notice off but thought nothing of it.

"Um sure? What's on your mind?" Serena asked as she slowly scooted closer to Ash as the duo walked down the stream. Pikachu was sitting on top of Serena's head making the Kalos Queen smile.

"Why did you never tell Calem that…you know…" Ash said awkwardly causing a moment of utter silence between the duo.

"Well you see…" Serena said while she began to nervously twiddle her fingers. "I liked the other boy more and I just couldn't tell him because of a…situation he put himself into" She said with a deep blush. She knew she was throwing Ash a big hint that he was THAT boy without directly saying it to his face but much to her disappointment Ash did not catch wind of this.

"I see…" Ash said as he began to ponder who Serena was crushing on. "Who was the boy anyways?" He asked making Serena's eyes widen like saucers. She had really been hoping he would not ask her that question.

"Well…" Serena said nervously as she put her hands behind her back. "It's a secret" she said after deciding it was for the best not to tell Ash yet.

"Fine" Ash grumbled causing Serena to giggle cutely. "Why do you want to know so badly? She asked.

"N-No reason" Ash stammered with a deep blush, that one simple detail was enough to throw her game off. _'He is blushing...I've never seen him blush like this before'_ Serena thought to herself wondering why Ash had suddenly became so flustered. Quickly trying to change the subject she decided to turn Ash's thoughts into another direction.

"Ash? Where are we?" She asked.

"Don't know"Ash said with a childish smile. "What do you mean you don't know? Do you not know where we are going?!" Serena exclaimed feeling slightly agitated.

"Nope, but if we go this way long enough we will eventually find something right?" Ash explained.

"Your logic is flawed Ash" Serena grumbled causing Ash to playfully role his eyes. "Well do you have a better plan in mind Mrs. Yvonne?" He asked with a wink making Serena blush. None of her friends, especially Ash, had treated her so formally before.

"We could always use a flying type pokemon, do you have any with you?" Serena asked.

"Well I do have one but…you may find him a bit scary" Ash said playfully making Serena slightly anxious despite knowing that Ash was just pulling her leg. "No objections? Ok then"'Ash said after Serena had not said anything for the past minutes. He then reached for his belt and threw a pokeball in the air releasing a Pokemon Serena had never seen before.

Out came a grayish-brown, avian like Pokémon appeared. It small, red eyes and a thin, yellow beak with a black tip. There was a circular white patch on its forehead, large white markings covered the front of its juggler and chest, separated by black tuffs on its shoulders. A red-tipped, black crest extends over its head, nearly reaching the tip of its beak, reminding Serena of the plumage of an Unfezant but not as stupid looking, for it looked badass. The bird pokemon had large wings, five black-tipped tail feathers, and yellow feet with black talons.

"Nice to see you again Staraptor!" Ash said as he gently placed his hand on the final evolved form of Starly. The bird from Sinnoh gave a loud "Raptor! Star, Staraptor!" Before playfully hitting his trainer on the head with one of his wings.

"Ash!" Serena exclaimed before rising over to her friend who was struggling to get up. "Are you ok?" She asked nervously.

"I'm fine" Ash coughed as he dusted himself off. "Staraptor wouldn't try to hurt me now would you?" He asked the large bird who threw his trainer an apologetic look. "It's ok" Ash said as he hopped onto Staraptor's back. He noticed Serena's look of confusion before offering her his hand. "Come on, let's get out of here" He said calmly.

"O-On that thing?" Serena asked nervously making Staraptor growl silently due to be called a "Thing"

"Well yeah, why not?" Ash asked feeling lost. He then noticed Staraptor's expression and finally put the pieces together. "You're afraid, aren't you?" He asked after realizing Serena's nervousness. He turned to Staraptor who also shared the same thought as his trainer and slightly felt bad for being angry at the honey haired girl.

"Maybe a little…" Serena said softly with a slight blush.

"How come?" Ash asked kindly.

"I'm afraid…I'm afraid of falling off" Serena confessed making Ash smile before briefly blushing. In one swift movement he had grabbed one of Serena's arms and pulled her up behind him and told Staraptor to take to the skies. Staraptor nodded and leapt off of the ground and started to ascend to heights Serena had not been to in her entire life.

"Ash! What are you doing!" Serena frantically screamed as she tightly wrapped her arms around his stomach. Ash chose not to answer her hoping that the silence would help her move on and forget about her fears. When Ash didn't answer Serena only tighten her grasp around the raven haired boy and boroughs her head in his back with her eyes shut tight. After a few minutes she loosened her grip and opened her eyes, realizing how close she had been to Ash resulting in a deep blush. She began to pull away feeling like she had intruded on his personal space only to be relieved by Ash saying "it's ok, I don't mind"

"Thank you Ash" Serena said softly before wrapping her arms once again around the boy in front of her and placed her head back onto his back. She felt a warm, bubbly feeling in her chest making her smile that her crush could make her feel so safe, so happy, so important. She looked below and watched as they flew over Lumiose City and saw all the people and cars looking so tiny that it amused her. "They look like ants" She commented before pointing out numerous other things that caught her attention resulting in a smile from Ash. He looked towards his faithful partner who sat in between his legs and saw the electric mouse give him a thumbs up. He then shifted his attention back to the rambling girl behind him. Much to both of their surprise, they had been trying to get back far longer than they thought. The sky had already darkened and the lights in houses and street lamps lit up the city.

"Wow! This is amazing!" Serena exclaimed with stars in her eyes. Suddenly an idea dawned on Ash, prompting him to whisper something into Staraptor's ear. Serena felt herself shriek cutely when the bird Pokemon took a sharp turn. "Ash, where are we going?" She asked. Ash simply pointed ahead and Serena could see the Prism Tower.

"Want are we doing here?" Serena asked. "Watch" Ash said simply as he pointed to the tower. The first thing Serena noticed was that the tower was rather dark, wasn't it missing something? Light. Suddenly Serena gasped as the tower suddenly shined brightly causing her to stare in awe at the environment Ash had taken her to. "It's…beautiful Ash" Serena said softly as she snuggled closer to Ash. He turned and looked at his friend and whispered "Yeah…she is" something to which Serena did not pick up on. "It's so…romantic" Serena said making Ash's heart skip a beat. Why would she bring that up? It seemed so random.

"I-I guess it is" Ash stuttered nervously with a deep blush.

"Is the great Ash Ketchum blushing?" Serena teased to which he nodded his head. "It's ok…it's alright to be…human" She whispered confusing Ash with what she had said. The two continued to stare at the tower before looking at each other with deep blushes on their faces.

"Thank you Ash…I…I really needed this" Serena said softly. "Anytime Serena" Ash replied before brushing aside a stand of Serena's hair that was on her face. Time seemed to slow as the two began to slowly move their heads towards each other and they eyes slowly began to close. Their lips were inches apart but were startled by a loud roar from below. They quickly pulled away from each other and blushed deeply. They looked below to see two people having a pokemon battle and both sighed. After realizing what had just happened they both immediately pulled away with deep blushes.

"W-W-We should probably get going" Ash stammered with a deep blush. "Y-Yeah…" Serena stuttered with dark pink splotches on her cheeks. The duo landed on the balcony of the tower and Ash called Staraptor back to its pokeball. The two looked over the railing and felt themselves internally scold themselves for what had almost happened.

"I had a great time tonight" Serena whispered sadly. "Yeah…me too…" Ash replied.

Ash began to walk back towards the staircase before feeling Serena grab his hand. "Thank you…for everything" She said with a deep blush.

"Anytime Serena…any time"

* * *

**Ok, for those who had origionally read this outro you notice thwt its different. I hope everybody enjoyed this chapter and tune in next time!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! I'm back! Now before I get into ANYTHING I want to say thank you. I was and still am overwhelmed with the amount of support I received and I give everybody my thanks. Though I think people were a bit confused though, I wasn't going to stop writing…that is unless my account was suspended. I am eternally (and I do know how to use that word and I think it is appropriate to use it in this context) grateful to every single one of you. I was brought to tears, literally, reading your reviews and messages and I never thought that this ordeal would become so big! One thing I am glad you all believe is that I did not plagiarize my other story, but I want to make one thing very clear. I have been keeping very close tabs on Farla and I will continue to do so for a very long time, the reason I will reveal later, and I noticed people bring up something about copyrights, and that the site doesn't really punish that or something. I don't care if other authors don't copyright their creations, I still think it is wrong for someone to rip them off. Although, Farla wrongly accused me of plagiarism but though I utterly despise her along with the majority of this community she (sadly) brings up a good point…which is weird because Farla is…Farla. Plagiarism is wrong, I intended to make a full speech about it but I won't because well…I have other important stuff to say. Now back to what I was saying earlier about keeping close tabs, after being accused I didn't just fight her, I learned about the others she has wronged in the past through the chapters in her story. So to "Hooded Author" "Silver Feather" "Illy Pikachuu" "Sandman001" "We're All Ok [At least I think that is a person]" I say that you have my deepest apologies for you guys being targeted for whatever the reason and to tell you guys that I will not ideally sit by and let Farla do this to people. The reason I'm keeping close tabs on her is because I plan to defend whoever she picks on through messages or her chapters, not everybody has a support system and well I do both on here and in real life and if no one is going to defend these people then I will. It is not ok for her to scrutinize people, and I hope that eventually it will stop. Now I feel like I was going to say a few other things but there is one last thing I have to do. Thank you **

**B.L. (Guest reviewer)**

**The fr4gtp**

**Coolpokelover**

**Valkyries Servant**

**Sasadhim1234**

**Ny514**

**Dj Ketchum**

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**Theuzigunner**

**Respawnzer**

**Silver Feather**

**Head Adkin**

**Patient 0 Zero**

**Ruttixx**

**Jmoul18**

**Shiny Mega Metagross**

**Da Snake Kingz **

**Shadowlightening56**

**Hunter the Weavile**

**EFLAME (even though you neither attacked or defended me it was nice to see your point of view)**

** Mac**

**Yesthenlucky9**

**Traveling Man93**

**Pokemon wars22**

**Brig Nodrm2347**

**Thestealthygreninja**

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**MTWKing**

**Wiifan2009**

**The legendary shipper**

**Nicco2883**

**Devanor**

**FORE5T**

**Anonymous Trainer**

**FanaticLAguy06**

**Personwhoreadsme13**

**Pokemondude144**

**Xxdavo1dxx**

**Redstonesniper (some letters are numbers but for the sake of time I'll just do it like this)**

**And to the guests who names are well…guest and the others who may not have messaged me of reviewed thank you very much. If you don't see you name here I'm sorry but you have my thanks**

**Well one last thing or rather two, first shout out to my home Da Snake Kingz who's birthday is coming up on April 2nd so let's give him a hand! Some people said they weren't good writers, and to them I say anybody can be a good writer, all it takes is one small idea and a bit of work and you can create something magical and believe me…I hate work but this is a good kind of work.**

**Daily quote: "She was the player…and I was the remote!" Da Snakekingz**

* * *

"So how do you know my son?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Well if there is a girl who has a crush on my little Ash then I feel that I deserve to hear it from you rather than him" Delia teased with a smile after noticing the girl's red cheeks form across the room. The two of them had become quite close, after the two girls had gone grocery shopping her visiter offered to help her make the Castilla Cone that Delia desired so much to try. The two of them had thrown the batch into the freezer before settling down and began to prepare dinner, Delia stood by the stove boiling water while the visiter was placing plates, napkins, and other utensils onto the table. Mr. Mime approached Delia with a box pasta and eagerly dumped the entire box into the pot. Delia simply smiled when she watched the girl scrambling back and forth with a feverish blush on her face. Delia was about to return to her cooking her attention was drawn away when the girl answered her question much to her surprise.

"I'm…from the Kalos Region" The girl said as she took two glasses from a shelf before returning to the table.

"Really? Well that just so happens to be where Ash went to!" Delia giggled causing the girl to sigh. "How did you two meet anyways?" She asked causing a small smirk to form on the girls face.

_We meet during a Pokepuff Contest_

* * *

"I can't believe it Red…we almost kissed" Ash said softly with an embarrassed look on his face to which Red chuckled at, clearly amused by his new friends nervousness. "Bruh I told you that you'd be glad we came here!" Red smirked causing Ash to roll his eyes sarcastically.

"Actually I would have come here even if you never showed up" Ash replied causing Red to snicker with a mischievous look on his face. "Whatever man, but you better act fast before I take her first!"

"Serena is mine! You hear me!" Ash exclaimed making Red chuckle while internally Ash was very confused with what had just happened. Never before had he snapped like that before to anyone, he felt bad about it too but the look on Red's face made said guilt vanish. Ash reached into his pocket and pulled out something that he had forgotten about in the past few days. He stared at the piece of worn fabric that had been with him the past four years. It was a small light blue cloth with a dark blue fabric around the ends of each side and a small pokeball stitched into the lower right hand corner. He moved the handkerchief to his hear and shut his eyes.

_I should give this back to her_

* * *

_Flashback: Kalos League_

_Ash Ketchum sat on a bench in a locker room along side his faithful Pikachu, he ran his hands throughout his jet black hair as many thoughts circulated throughout his head. His hat was resting on Pikachu's head and the little mouse looked at his friend with deep concern. He knew how his best friend was feeling. They were currently involved in the intermission session during the Kalos League Finals, three of Ash's Pokemon had been declared unable to continue battling being Oshawott, Leavanny, and Glalie. Pikachu knew how much pain his friend was in, he was so close to finally achieving their dream, the dream that he and all the Pokemon they knew shared, to become a Pokemon Master, everything was riding on this battle. He had never been as far as he was now, the Kalos League finals. Noticing that his partner was concerned, Ash managed to force himself to make a fake smile despite the fact that the mouse didn't buy it for a minute. _

"_I'm fine Pikachu" Ash said trying to appear hopeful when deep down he had a gut crunching feeling that said he was going to lose this fight and frankly it scared him. For his final line up, he had chosen to use Totodile, Pikachu, and a Pokemon he had reunited with before coming to the Kalos Region, his faithful Pidgeot. He trusted his Pokemon with his life but he continued to second guess his chance at victory. He had done so many things differently during this time around; unlike his previous companions Ash was the oldest out of the group, he was the most experienced, he was in a better physical condition than the others, this was the first time he had traveled with two girls and not just one, though the thing that stuck out the most was that he was romantically interested in somebody, in fact it was somebody he was traveling with. He at first had thought of these feelings as a silly crush but had eventually began to accept the fact that he was head over heels in love with his childhood friend Serena. He remembered that in the past that if something bad happened when they met somebody new he would always be the one to go with them while the rest of his group stayed together but this time his group was the one going with newcomers and he was going with Serena and it happened every single time. He had always known that this adventure was going to stand out from his previous ones but he didn't think that his travels in Kalos would stand out to such an extent. He suddenly heard the sound of footsteps approaching and quickly put on a brave face though it quickly fell when he felt someone sit down on the bench right next to him. _

_"Ash? What's wrong?" _

_"Guess I just a bit nervous Serena" Ash replied trying not to look his friend in the eyes, it was his weakness. Anybody could tell how he was feeling just by looking into his auburn eyes. "You have nothing to worry about Ash, you will do great!" Serena said cheerfully as she placed her hand gently on his shoulder. _

"_And what if I don't?" Ash asked softly making Serena worried. She had never, not once in her life seen Ash Ketchum so…lifeless. "Is that even a question Ash? You have done great!" Serena exclaimed but the look in Ash's eye sent shivers down her spine. _

_"But what if I don't win?" Ash asked sadly causing Serena to sigh in a motherly type of way. With a blush she inched closer to Ash and took his hand into her own. "Ash…look around you, you are in the Kalos League Finals! You have to be pretty great to make it this far and not a lot of people are able to say that they have and if you ask me that's pretty special"_

"_You really think so?" Ash asked with a small smile on his causing Serena to squeal internally knowing that she had helped Ash get his head together. "I know so" She replied. The two of them sat there in silence, their hands together and thoughts blazing like fire. A voice over the intercom speaker announced that battlers had to return to the field in the next five minutes and Serena watched as Ash slowly stood up. He threw he a nervous smile and began to walk away until she ran over to him and grabbed his arm. When she noticed the look he was giving her a blush appeared as she reached into her pocket. "Here" She said as she placed a piece of fabric into the palm of his hand. "It's my good luck charm, be sure to bring it back to me!" She giggled with a wink though Ash just stared at the cloth in his hand in shock. Serena had just given him one of her most treasured possessions and it made his smile quiver slightly in joy before pulling himself together. _

_"I will Serena" Ash said confidently as he placed the handkerchief in his pocket. He gave his thanks to Serena and made his way out of the locker room and when Serena was sure Ash was gone she smiled happily and gave a soft sigh. "And don't forget Ash…wherever you go…"_

_I'm always with you_

* * *

_Knock Knock Knock_

"Who's there?" Serena asked as she approached the door. Since she was back at the Prism Tower, also where their two traveling companions lived, she had decided to sleep with Bonnie for a feeling of nostalgia, a flashback to when her life was so much simpler. She had changed into a pair of her pajamas and found it rather nice to wear something so ordinary compared to what she was forced to wear on a daily basis. Arceus she hated her manager! She placed her hand around the door knob and opened the door to find her childhood friend standing there with a smile on his face.

"Hey Serena, may I come?" Ash asked to which she nodded and stepped aside so her friend could come in. She quickly out a finger to her lips and shushed Ash. When he gave her a confused look she pointed to the bed in which a girl wearing Tyrunt styled pajamas slept. Ash nodded his head after understanding that Bonnie, the girl in the pajamas, was asleep. Serena took his hand in her own causing both of them to blush as she led him over to her sleeping bag in which both of them sat on. "So what's on your mind Ash?" She asked sweetly.

"Well nothing really, I was just returning this to you" Ash smiled as he showed her the handkerchief that was in a way the symbol of their friendship. This caused Serena to gasp and a few tears formed in her eyes. "You…you still have it? Even after all this time?" She asked as if the piece of cloth was not truly right in front of her.

"Of course I did" Ash smiled. "After all…" He said as he put one of his hands under Serena's. "You told me to bring it back to you" He finished as he placed his other hand on hers. Serena's lip began to quiver after being so moved by Ash's simple gesture resulting in him receiving a tight embrace from her. This behavior startled Ash, he wrapped his arms around her and was about to ask what was wrong but she beat him to it.

"Thank you Ash…for everything" She whispered into his ear making the boy smile softly. "Anytime Serena, anytime" He whispered back as the two held each other while they sat on top of her sleeping bag. To Serena the rest of the world ceased to exist, all that mattered to her was the boy she cherished so dearly. Her thoughts shifted to a topic she had not pondered about until this very moment and it resulted in her cheeks becoming a light shade of pink. "Hey Ash…have you ever liked somebody before?" She asked sadly causing Ash's eyes to become the size of saucers. Though the raven haired boy was dense, he had learned a thing or two during his absence and was shocked that Serena had asked him such a question. "I..I um…you see…" Ash tried to say though he continued to stumble over his words and form incoherent sentences making Serena internally sigh. "Just forget I mentioned it" She said to which Ash simply nodded his head. Ash pulled out his Pokegear and checked the time, it was 12:01 in the morning.

"It's really late Serena, I think I better go now" Ash said causing Serena's face to go form a smile to a confused frown. She had mixed feelings occurring within her at once, though she wanted him to stay she also knew that he was right. She just couldn't get over the feeling that she did something wrong, had she made him uncomfortable? Was asking Ash if he ever liked a girl out of line? She watched as he got up and made his way to the door and she reached her hand towards the boy as he walked away. Guilt overcame her as she began to mentally scold herself for pushing Ash out of his comfort zone, though she could not see the hidden smile on the boy when he opened the door.

"And Serena" He said hesitantly making sure that he had gotten Serena's attention and when he knew that she was focused on him and only him a playful smirk formed on his face as he said "The answer to your question? It's a yes" and with that he walked into the hall and shut the door gently behind him leaving a wide eyed Serena stunned by what she had heard.

* * *

**Well guys I hope you enjoyed, one again thank you but I have to do this quickly, the bell is going to ring and I have to upload this!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys it's yo boy here Nexxus back for another chapter of "Strength of Ones Heart!" I wanna give a quick shout out to Da Snake Kingz and Silentgreninja who are writing some fics and you guys should totally go and check them out. Remember though, they may be starting small so don't pay to much attention to work count or grammar because remember t****his is a big step for them! Same goes to my pal here Coolpokelover! He wants to write an Abilityshipping story and I think we should all give him a round of applause as well. Go get em' guys! So yay! But holy crap did anybody see the season finale of The Walking Dead? It was SO intense! From Glen getting shot to Gabriel letting walkers into Alexandria to that abusive husband dude slicing Dianne's husbands neck with Michonne's sword to Rick popping a cap in the guys head (with Diana's permission) and Morgan returning! And did you see how many walkers surrounded Daryl and the other guy in the car? Morgan showed up and used some fucking ninja moves and got them out! Probably should have said spoiler alert…well…enjoy!**

_**Daily Quote: "You don't understand. A garage. I can't even pull in there. It's like going to a prostitute. Why should I pay, when if I apply myself, maybe I could get it for free?" George Costanza (Jason Alexander) **_

* * *

"What was I thinking?" Ash asked himself as he stared at the ceiling. He was laying on his bed in the dark. He knew he had taken a very ballsy move when answering Serena's question and frankly he wish he didn't. "She is going to badger me until she finds out but when she does…she won't want to see me again" Ash sighed sadly as he turned on his side and was facing the wall. Pikachu was laying at the foot of the bed curled up in a small blanket sleeping quietly and Ash smiled at the sight of his best friend, lately the only thing that could get his mind off of Serena or anything for that matter was Pikachu; then again it always has been. Ash pulled himself up into a sitting position and stared at the yellow mouse smiled when noticing Pikachu stirring in his sleep and turned to faze him with a very drowsy facial expression. "I didn't mean to wake you buddy" Ash apologized.

"Pika? Pikachu" Pikachu said as he crawled over to Ash and licked his cheek causing Ash to giggle like a child. "Pikachu cut it out that tickles!" Ash exclaimed he he tried to pry the electric type pokemon off of his body but it seemed that this action agitated Pikachu resulting in a weak shock to circulate through his body. "You didn't have to do that you know" Ash grumbled as he fell onto his back in a comical like fashion. Much to Ash's dismay the shock had returned his thoughts to Serena. Why was it that she was the only one that was not electrocuted by Pikachu? In some way everywhere he went he had a knack for unintentionally frying people's bikes, specifically Misty's, May's, and Dawn's. When he met Iris she was shocked directly since a bike was absent and when he ran into Clemmont and Bonnie, Bonnie had hugged Pikachu tightly resulting in the electric mouse using its famous thunderbolt attack; but Serena was never harmed by Pikachu. Why was she the only one of Ash's female traveling companions to never have been shocked by Pikachu? The more he thought about it the more he began to notice how much time Pikachu had spent with Serena when he wasn't around. He remembered the saying that Pokemon often reflect the feelings of their trainers. Serena's pokemon had never been super friendly to him or his other pokemon like Pikachu had. Ash felt his face pale briefly when a thought crossed his mind. Had Serena known the whole time about his crush on her? He knew that she was very smart and it wouldn't take that much effort to piece everything together. He felt his chest tighten at the thought that Serena may not return the feelings he had for her, if she had known the whole time then why didn't she say anything? Was that why she asked that question tonight? Why did she ask him if he had ever liked a girl before? Serena usually never hid things from him and was always honest so he eventually dismissed this theory before his head hit the pillow below him.

"Pikachu…why were you always so comfortable around Serena?" Ash asked his faithful partner after looking at him. Pikachu gave his friend a confused look causing Ash to sign. "Never mind" Ash mumbled before allowing his thought to disperse leaving nothing and he found himself drifting off into dreamland.

* * *

"A Pokepuff contest you say?"

"That's right" The girl nodded as she continued to wash dishes in the kitchen sink causing Delia to give a delighted squeal much to her confusion. "Wow! A cutie that can cook as well! Ash undoubtedly needs someone like you to take care of him!" Delia giggled causing the girl to smirk. "I remember that I once asked him if…if he had anyone to take care of him but at the time I think he misunderstood my question but I feel if I ask him again then maybe I'll get an answer"

"Well I hope it works out for you" Delia giggled. "Tell you what, I'll give him a call after we're done here ok?"

"That would be great!" The girl cheered happily but noticed Delia giving her a naughty look that frightened her, but not in a dirty way. "Do you need to get anything ready for that time? A little makeup? Lipstick? A cute dress?" Delia teased causing the girls face to redden. "N-No thank you Mrs. Ketchum!" The girl stuttered but was inwardly smiling. Ash's mom had taken quite a liking to her and she had a very good feeling that things would work out the way she intended them to.

_You will be mine Ash Ketchum_

* * *

"He said yes!" Serena giggled as she walked down the street. She had decided to leave the tower and get some fresh air after everybody had fallen asleep. The night blanketed her surroundings but the street lamps and lights from building did a good job of making her quick trip very easy. She began to jump up and down in pure excitement as she continued to say "He said yes! He's likes a girl! But what if…" Her voice began to trail off and turned to a much somber tone. "It isn't me?" She asked herself softly as a frown appeared on her face. She continued to walk down the street and began to pass by all sorts of shops along the way. What if she wasn't the one Ash liked? What if he liked one of his other companions? She remembered visiting his mother in Pallet Town and expressed her concerns to her and the brown haired mother comforted her many times during the past four years. One day she found a photo album and began to flip through the pages. She remembered seeing many photographs from his travels. She remembered seeing his female traveling companions and she remembered them very well.

There was an orange haired girl, what was her name again? Was her name was Missy? Blissy? Serena suddenly face palmed after realizing she thought the girls name was one of a pokemon. She quickly snapped her fingers and said "Misty! That was her name!" She remembered seeing a picture of her and a boy in a green t-shirt with their arms around Ash's shoulder while he held the trophy he had won in the Orange League above his head while Pikachu sat at his feet. She remembered Delia saying that Ash had traveled with Misty the longest out of his other female companions.

Then there was a brunette girl that she knew the name of, May Maple. She had ran into her once and the two of them had hit it off quite well but Serena thought that May was much prettier than her, why would Ash want her if she could have all of that?

What about that Berlitz girls? She believed that her name was Dawn Berlitz. The blunette with the Piplup seemed to be exceptionally close to Ash and he had many pictures of the two from their journey, more than he had of anybody else including her. She noticed that Dawn's cheeks were occasionally red in some photos and the picture that really sent shivers down her spine was a picture of the two of them holding hands during the Grand Festival in the Sinnoh Region.

Then there was this Iris girl and she didn't even want to get into that, she met her and immediately did not like her, she had referred to Ash as a kid many times and it frustrated her to no end.

There was a picture of a girl playing a Pokeflute like object and another one of the girl kissing him on the cheek which really made her stomach churn; she also noticed the angry expression the Orange haired girl had as well, she believed that the caption of the image stated that the girls name was Melody.

Then there was this Casey girl, she remembered Ash expressing the girls infatuation with him and it sickened her but it was clear that Ash did not return her feelings.

Could it be somebody else? She remembered their childhood friend Leaf, she wasn't sure if Ash had ever seen her since he started his journey but remembered the framed pictures of the two hanging around his house, respectively of Leaf and herself, but one picture hung on a wall that she did not remember at all. It was a picture of her kissing Ash on the cheek before she moved away. Why would she have forgotten about that one? A memory as significant as that should never be forgotten! "Who could it be?" She whispered. She suddenly found herself slip on something and fell to the ground.

"Ouch!" Serena grumbled as she stood up. As she stood up she placed her hands on her skirt and smoothed it down thus eliminating any wrinkles. "I really need to pay more attention to where I'm going" She sighed as she stared at an object on the ground. She knelt down and picked it up and came to the conclusion that this was what she had slipped on. She had slipped on a magazine, a tabloid to be exact. When she picked it up she gasped and felt her eyes begin to water. Her heart had broken upon seeing the cover.

_I knew it wasn't me_

* * *

"Are you ok M-"

"I'm fine!" The girl exclaimed frightfully. She along with Delia were standing in the kitchen looming over a plate she had dropped leaving it in shambles. "I'm so sorry Mrs. Ketchum!" The girl apologized frantically, if Ash's mother began to resent her then her master plan would fall apart.

"It's ok" Delia said with a sigh. She began to pick up shards of the plate off of the ground and prompted the girl to look at the older woman in a odd way. "Mrs. Ketchum? Don't you want a broom or a dusting pan?" She asked to which Delia simply shook her head. "It's fine, when Ash was little he broke more things than I can count!" Delia giggled before a small frown formed on her face. "It's just that this plate was…a wedding gift" she mumbled.

"A wedding gift?" The girl asked as she began to put pieces together and more questions formed in her head. Where was Ash's father? Delia's husband? Who on earth was Mr. Ketchum?

"Where is your husband anyways Mrs. Ketchum?" The girl asked curiously but immediately regretted asking this question after she saw Delia's cheerful face fall into a sad frown with quivering lips. "I…He's…" Delia mumbled causing the girl to feel guilty. "I shouldn't have asked, I'm sorry for your loss" the girl apologized causing Delia to chuckle much to her surprise. "Mrs. Ketchum?" The girl asked in a hesitant tone. She began to feel frightened when a smile formed on the elderly lady's face. "Oh heavens no! He's just on a journey" Delia chuckled. "Ash is a lot like his father actually…both have a sense of adventure and share the same dream of being a Pokemon Master too. Ash however never got to meet him because he…he left to go on a journey shortly after he was born. Sometimes I try to hate him but I remember that stupid smile and my heart just melts like butter!"

"It does?" The girl asked to which Delia nodded her head. "It's been 17 years since he left us…and I still love that fool" She whispered happily but the girl threw her a look of disappointment. "How do you know he is coming back Mrs. Ketchum? It's been 17 years and there has been no sign of him. What if he just left you and Ash and is with another girl maybe even another wife-"

"Silver would never cheat on me!" Delia screamed angrily frightening the Kalos native and Delia noticed this. She moved her hand to her mouth in shock at what she had done. "I'm so sorry! It's just…people have said the same thing but…it anger me! Not just that people say this is a possibility but that it may be true! I trust my husband…he would never be unfaithful" She whispered sadly.

_Silver…where are you?_

* * *

Ash Ketchum was found wide awake sitting on a bench at the base of Prism Tower. He was experiencing the same case of insomnia that Serena was but he was much more mellowed out. Next to him sat one of his strongest and most trusted Pokemon Gallade. Though the psychic/fighting type Pokemon had not been with Ash as long as his other Pokemon he had quickly become Ash's go to Pokemon on the same level as Pikachu. Gallade had yet to forgotten his horrendous past before meeting his raven haired friend but was much better with coping with the memories of what had happened. Gallade grimaced as memories began to come to mind and his muscles tensed, but when he felt a hand on his shoulder the memory faded and Gallade relaxed his shoulders.

"Did it happen again" Ash asked to which Gallade sadly shook his head causing Ash to sign. "Gallade…You can't blame yourself for what happened, the situation was out of your control" He said as he threw his pokemon a look of understanding. "_If I wasn't so afraid…if I wasn't so weak…maybe things would have been different"_ Gallade mumbled and was able to sense a small surge of anger within his friend.

"Gallade stop this right now" Ash said sternly. "Never. Ever. Call yourself weak, it's not only an insult to yourself but to me and I won't let you think of yourself that way!"

"_But Master-_"

"No Gallade. It ends here, the past is the past and there is nothing we can do about it!" Ash exclaimed causing Gallade to stand up and glare angrily at his trainer. The two of them, trainer and pokemon, were glaring daggers at each other. This wasn't the first time that Ash and Gallade had butted heads before, many times the two had lashed out at each other during the past four years, some were Gallade's fault, and some were Ash's fault. As usual the stare down ended in the same way as the others had, with Ash's eyes softening and the two of them embracing each other venting the frustration both of them felt.

"_Master…I'm sorry_" Gallade apologized after releasing his trainer from the embrace. "No Gallade, we both had ownership of what just happened. You just have to learn to cope with what happened!"

"I know it's just…" Gallade began to say before jumping to his feet and stood in front of Ash. He took a defensive stance and the blades on his arms began to glow. "_Something is watching us master_" Gallade said before unleashing a Psychocut attack towards a nearby bush. In swift movement Gallade had propelled a non physical form of energy shaped like an arc shaped blade into the bushes resulting in a loud shrill of terror.

"_Show yourself!_" Gallade demanded as he readied another attack only for Ash to raise his arm in front of Gallade. "That is enough Gallade" Ash said before approaching the bushes. He moved the branches and found what he believed to be fast asleep at this hour.

"Serena? What are you doing up this late?" Ash asked the honey haired girl. He offered her his hand only for her to smack it away with what appeared to be a rolled up magazine. Ash noticed her bloodshot eyes and the tears that continued to run down her cheeks and immediately grew concerned. "Serena what's wrong?" Ash asked as he quickly pulled her to her feet. Though she reluctantly looked at the ground she was surprised when she had somehow managed to say "Nothing" but this statement only worried Ash.

"Serena you don't have to lie, I'm here for you!" Ash said happily as he tried to grab Serena's hand only for her to recoil at his attempt and took a step back. Ash could now see not just sadness in her eyes but anger and betrayal as well. "Oh you're here for me are you?" Serena yelled sarcastically. "Well last I checked I've been needing you for the past four years but you were most defiantly not there for me!"

"W-What are you talking about?" Ash asked beginning to feel hurt not only by Serena's tone but the words she had said to him. "Yeah, while you claimed that you had been "away training" it looks to me that you are lying!" She yelled angrily. "Serena what are you talking about?" Ash asked as he began to feel slightly angered at the honey haired girl. "Why would I lie to my friends? To you? Why would I want to hurt the people I care about the most!" He yelled angrily and noticed Serena cringe at his sudden change of posture and attitude.

"You never went training! You were just with her!" Serena yelled causing Ash's anger to immediately vanish and turn to confusion. Serena had said he was with her, who was she talking about? "What are you talking about? I wasn't with anybody, much less a female" Ash asked but felt something being shoved into his chest.

"Well then explain what this is!" Serena yelled as she shoved a crumpled up magazine into his chest. Ash took the magazine in his hands and looked at the cover and felt himself pale. The magazine was a tabloid and he most defiantly did not like what was on the cover page. It was titled "Who is Lisia's new boyfriend? Contest Queen finds love in the form of Ash Ketchum?" and smack dab in the middle was an image of him and Lisia, the girl that had helped him get into the stadium earlier today and see Serena's performance, kissing him on the cheek. Ash was both shocked and not shocked at the same time, it sounded strange but he was shocked that someone had managed to get a picture of this but at the same time expected this scum from the paparazzi. The image was clearly edited as it showed both of them blushing and hearts were surrounding them. "Stupid paparazzi" Ash grumbled but this was heard by Serena. "What was that Ash? I couldn't hear you!"

"Serena stop it!" Ash yelled as he threw the magazine to the ground. "Let me explain-" He said as his tone softened only to feel Serena's hand come in contact with his cheek. "Explain what? Your secret relationship? The lie you told me? That you weren't out training but sucking face with this girl?!" She yelled as tears streamed down her cheeks. Her composure had long ago been lost and she began to sob. She felt somebody wrap their arms around her and though she desperately wanted nothing to do with the boy she found herself return the embrace and sob on his shoulder. During her sobbing she could hear a voice, Ash's voice.

"I'm hurt Serena, how could you be fooled into thinking I would lie to you? When has the paparazzi ever told the damn truth about anything?" He asked softly. "It wasn't like that at all. I returned to Pallet Town yesterday and told my mom about what had happened, she told me what my friends, including you, had been up to in the past four years. When she told me what had happened to you I was heartbroken, it was my fault you had fallen into the state you were. I met Red on my way out of the house and we had a battle but tagged along afterwords and we took a plane to Lumiose City. After some searching I found out about your performance and I immediately ran to the stadium and that's where I bumped into Lisia at a line to get in, at the time I didn't know about her celebrity status and we talked for a while until she was able to get inside. That's when…the bouncer wouldn't let me in…I didn't have a ticket and the only reason I was allowed to get inside was because Lisia overheard what was happening and came back. She claimed that I was her boyfriend and kissed me on the cheek, when the bouncer wouldn't let her in she revealed who she was and the bouncer fanboyed more than I have ever seen Brock when he saw a pretty girl. We used that as a chance to get inside. I'm haven't been "sucking faces" with her, I am not her boyfriend, I'm simply a boy from Pallet Town looking for something I lost long ago"

"Do you…do you really mean that Ash?" Serena whispered to which Ash nodded his head prompting her to once again sob feverishly on his shoulder. "I-I-I'm s-s-sorry Ash!" She said through choked sobs as Ash simply rubbed her back and tried to calm her down. "It's ok Serena, I forgive you" He whispered as he did something so out of character that it surprised not only Serena but he himself. While he held her in his arms he moved his lips to her forehead for a brief second but no matter how brief the kiss was it was something neither of them would forget. Serena felt her sobbing cease and her cheeks beginning to burn. She looked Ash in the eyes and was about to speak but felt Ash release her.

"I'm sorry, that was a bit to far…I'll leave you before a while" He mumbled. With his bright red face he turned around and began to walk away leaving Serena speechless for a moment before he could hear the sound of footsteps closing in on him and felt Serena grab his arm. He turned around and found himself speechless. In one swift movement Serena had grabbed the sides of his face and pulled his lips down and met hers. Both of the childhood friends eyes widen, they both eventually shut their eyes and felt an odd shock coursing through their bodies. Serena felt like there was fireworks going off in the distance, she remembered her mom once telling her that she kissed the right person she would feel a certain spark and boy oh boy she was feeling it. The kiss was only brief, very brief but it was enough to leave the two speechless upon pulling their lips apart. Ash felt like he had been shocked by Pikachu as if it was the first time he stared at the girl who was shorter than him and felt himself quickly pull her in for a tight hug. He felt her rest her head in the crook of his neck and the surprise he felt was equally shared by Serena. They stood in silence both trying to get over what had just occurred and Ash finally mustered up courage and asked "What…what was that for?" It took Serena a moment to reply as she was trying to plan out exactly what she wanted to say, though fearful she whispered "I…I don't know…I just kind of...did it mindlessly"

"O-Oh" Ash whispered. Both teens minds had dozens upon dozens of thoughts and questions they wanted to ask but neither of them could muster the courage to actually do so. While Ash was too nervous to say anything Serena however, found herself asking Ash a question that resulted in an equally shared blush between the two.

"Was that…your first kiss Ash?" She asked in a hushed tone. Unable to answer right away he was silent for a few minutes until he found himself able to whisper "Y-Yes" and felt himself asking her a question as well.

"Was that your first…kiss as well…Serena?" He asked nervously and like Ash had been only moments before Serena found herself unable to give an answer right away until she was finally able to whisper "It was my fist kiss too" The two had yet to release each other from their warm embrace, they felt that they were physically unable to. Ash simply stared at the girl in his arms and came to a conclusion that Serena had as well.

Nothing…Nothing would be the same between the two ever again

"So…where do we go from here?" Serena asked, her head still rested in the crook of his neck and her hot breath touching his skin sent shivers down his back. "What…what do you mean?" Ash asked nervously to which Serena internally sighed sadly. "I mean…we can't just forget what just happened…"

"Right…" Ash mumbled and the girl in his arms felt tears welling up in her eyes. Guilt had began to take a firm grip on her heart and many fearful thoughts began to enter her mind. She had changed the relationship between her and her childhood friend and crush forever. Had her doing this possibly ruin their friendship? She felt herself trying very hard to hold back fearful tears and was able to mutter in a very choppy tone "I-I'm so sorry Ash…I've ruined everything" She had unknowingly deeply upset the auburn eyed boy holding her and made his heart break. He hated seeing his friend like this, and he found the feelings he had suppressed for so long suddenly blow up in his face. He grabbed Serena's shoulders and yanked her away so her head was no longer on his shoulder. Serena immediately knew that she had upset him, she had ruined their friendship…or had she? She suddenly experience something she had never fathomed happening ever occur for the second time in a single night. She felt Ash lift her chin with his fingers so that she was looking him directly in the eyes, he had, without warning, placed his lips on her own once more. This time it was him making the first move, something that made her internally squeal. Unlike the previous time they had locked lips with each other Ash was far more relaxed than he had been minutes before. He moved his arms down to her waist and Serena found herself returning the kiss and wrapping her arms around Ash's neck. The entire world ceased to exist around them, their thoughts and judgment had metaphorically flown out the window as they continued to kiss each other, each releasing the feelings they had felt for a very long time. They slowly separated and stared into each others eyes, as the two stared at each other the lights of the tower had began to shine brighter and stars peppered the night sky. Both of them knew that the past hour had forever changed their lives. Ash felt like there was no better time than now to come clean.

"Serena…there's something I need to tell you" Ash said softly as he stared into Serena's eyes.

"Yes Ash?" Serena asked hopefully.

_There's no way…_

"Serena...I…I love you" Ash said in a hushed tone but had unknowingly made Serena's night one to remember. She pulled him into another hug and once again rested her head on his shoulder and said softly "I've waited so long to hear those words, I love you Ash Satoshi Ketchum

* * *

**Anybody see that Halo reference at the very end? The final line was based on Cortana saying goodbye to Master Chief! By the way happy April fools day! Ironically the Red vs Blue premier of season 13 debuted today and OH MY GOD THEY SHOW THE META'S FACE! Well guys…this is far from the end of this story, let's say their new relationship is going to be tested like never before! I wanna give another shoutout to Silver Feather who I hounced the idea off of for Ashs father, R&amp;R guys!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guy's its yo main boy Nexxus here back for another chappy of "Strength of Ones Heart" and I just realized something…when was the last time I actually called a chapter a chapter? I always call them chappys! Now I have something totally off topic to share, ok now I literally fell for the worlds most obvious April Fools joke every. Ok so there was an article published about Halo 5 stating that 343 was going to kill off Master Chief and replace the iconic figure many recognize as a representative of Microsoft with their own creation being Agent Locke, so I'm freaking out and sent it to a few of my friends and well…this is where the joke comes in -_- I totally overlooked this, so my friend points out something that I have absolutely no clue how I missed it. It said the Arbiter was a homosexual, I mean come on! How did I not notice it say that?**

**Quote:****_ "Democracy? Democracy? Democracy is not what people need–hell it's not even what they want. America has been trying to instill democracies in nations for a century, and it hasn't worked one time. These countries don't have the most basic building blocks to support a democracy. Little things like we aught to be tolerate to those who disagree with us. We aught to be tolerate to those who worship a different god than us. That a journalist ought to be able to disagree with the president! And you think you could just march into countries based on some fundamentalist, religious principles, drop a few bombs, topple a dictator, and start a democracy!? *Scoff* Give me a break. People don't want freedom. They want boundaries, rules. Protection. From invaders and from themselves. People need a leader who could give them both the support and the constraints to keep chaos at bay. You give them that, they'll follow. And that's where I come in."_****_Jonathan Irons, Cod Advance Warfare E3 Trailer_**

* * *

Ash found himself walking back to Prism Tower side by side with Serena, who like he, was very confused about what had happened less that 30 minutes ago. The two had revealed their feelings to each other without any rational thought. The concept of being in a relationship was something brand new to both of them and it was scary. Both knew that their friendship had changed, it evolved into something new and beautiful yet as they walk with their hands held neither one of the teens dared to speak to one another, heck they wouldn't even look each other in the eyes, they would just steal nervous glances when the other wasn't looking. Both their fears of the other being attracted to somebody else had evaporated but their fears, their new fears, were simply about each other. Though one of the two could not accept this the other could much to her dismay.

"Ash…?" Serena asked nervously with a heavy blush, something which Ash noticed though he didn't blame her for he had one of his own. "Yes Serena?" Ash asked as he turned his head to the tower in the distance. He knew what Serena was going to ask, the fact that he couldn't ask himself made him frown. He should be able to hold up a conversation with his friend but it was so hard to now, were they even friends anymore?

"Did I…Did I do something wrong?" She asked as she stopped walking and released her hand from Ash's though it took a moment for him to stop walking away. He turned around to the Kalos Queen and for the first time since their confession looked each other in the eyes. He frowned and tilted his head with a perplexed look before asking "No…why do you ask?"

"It's just that since…since what happened we just…" Serena rambled finding herself incapable of completing her thought, she knew what she wanted to say but the words just wouldn't leave her lips but luckily the raven haired boy finished her thought. "We haven't been able to speak to each other?"

"Much less make eye contact" Serena nodded sadly. She moved her hand to her elbow and bit her lip nervously while she stared at the boy and said boy knew that something had to be done.

"What is this about Serena?" Ash asked making Serena sigh internally in relief that she wouldn't have to force Ash into such an awkward conversation. "Why is it so hard to be around you all of the sudden?" She asked making Ash take a step back feeling dark thoughts plaguing his head. Did she change her mind? Did she want him to leave? What had he done wrong?

"Did I…Did I upset you?" Ash asked sadly as he turned his back to her. He clenched his fists and began to blame himself for whatever was happening between him and his closest friend. "No, it's not like that at all Ash!" Serena exclaimed upon realizing that her friend from Pallet had taken her words the wrong way. She groaned in frustration before exclaiming in a child like matter "This is so frustrating!"

"What's frustrating?" Ash asked noticing the turmoil that the girl was experiencing. "You and me! Why is it so hard all the sudden to be around each other!" She said loudly before feeling somebody's arms wrap tightly around her though she knew who they belonged to. "Are things…every going to be the same?" She asked softly.

"No…and they never will" Ash said as he released her. "What happened has changed our friendship forever Serena, nothing will ever be the same. What we said back there, what we did, there is no changing it"

"I know…" Serena sighed as she took a step away from Ash. "I just wish things could go back to the way they used to be" Ash mumbled and Serena nodded her head but inside she felt her heart slowly crumbling. "Do you…do you want that?" She asked causing Ash to throw her an odd glance. "What do you mean?" He asked.

"I mean…we can just forget all about what happened and go back to the way we used to be…I'm so sorry Ash" Serena said, though her words sounded simple both knew how complicated that would be.

"I'm not sorry for what I said…I'm sorry for not saying it sooner" Ash said as he looked Serena in the eyes. "You weren't ready…I wasn't ready…but we need to be ready; we have to be ready right now. We can't ignore what happened earlier, if we do it will only ruin whatever we had between each other! If we forget this, things still won't be the same…things will be worse"

"But-"

"You know I was thinking…" Ash said as he interrupted Serena. "I was thinking how many days had I been gone and during that time how many days had you not been in my thoughts? None. You were always there and though I could push you to the back of my thoughts you were still there. I could do it now, just push you all the way behind what I'm thinking about, my goals and dream Serena…but I can't…and I won't. What I said back there, what WE said back there, there is no denying that something was and is going to happen. Things have changed, and we can too Serena! I'll show you how…"

"What are you…what are you trying to say Ash?" Serena asked softly with a deep blush.

"When you are alone…once you have isolated yourself for such a long time you realize what you are and what you can be. You realize your needs from your wants, your desires from your dreams! It is a lonely world our there and...don't want to be alone anymore Serena" Ash said as he took Serena's hand in his own. "What we said back there…there is no changing that and that is something that I am fearful of but also thankful for. These feelings are like paths and it is our time to choose what path we belong on. If you are fearful then…that path leads you to what may not be but if you are brave and take the other path it will lead you…it will lead you…" Ash said as he tried to complete his thought. "It will lead you to me"

"I…don't know what to choose" Serena confessed softly. "I'm scared, what if I do something wrong? Or even if you do something wrong?" She asked rhetorically. "I've been waiting for this Ash, longer than you know but now that it's here I just…I don't know what to do, I mean is this want we really want? Is this what I…is this what I want?" She stood there for a moment pondering this while leaving Ash heartbroken.

"Is it what you want?" Ash asked in a rather simplistic matter. Serena could only stand there dumbfound by the question. How could he make it sound so simple but it felt like she was being torn apart? Ash noticed the expression on her face and sighed sadly. He mentally scolded himself believing that had he kept himself under control none of this would have happened.

"You don't have to give me an answer right now" Ash said monotonically. "It's a lot to take in at once, I'll just…leave you be" He whispered as he turned around and began to walk away, he refused to turn around, he wouldn't let Serena see the tears running down his cheeks. He stopped momentarily before reaching for his belt and pulled out a pokeball. In a flash of light Gallade appeared and could tell something was wrong.

_"Master? What is bothering you?" _Gallade asked. "I don't want to talk about it right now Gallade…just use teleport" Ash whispered sadly causing Gallade to look behind him and saw the honey haired girl he had taken from the hospital. He growled before his blade began to glow and he whisked himself and Ash away but Serena could see the hatred in Gallades eyes.

_What…What path will I take?_

* * *

"Arceus why do these people not have any sodas around this place?!" The backwards cap wearing boy complained. Red had woken an hour ago and he had given up on returning to the land of slumber. He continued to yank open drawers in the Lumiose City's gym leaders home. He saw a can tipped over on the top shelf and he snickered evilly. "There you are you little brat!" Red exclaimed as he grabbed the can of soda only to immediately feel himself being consumed in anger. "Diet? DIET?" Red bellowed. "WHERE IS THE FUCKING MOUNTAIN DEW?!" Red threw the can to the floor and angrily crushed it with his foot while throwing his temper tantrum. How on earth could a gym leader not have any soda in his home? Red thought to himself before shaking his head and correcting himself. Any good soda. He watched as liquids slowly leaked out of the crushed can and onto the floor causing Red to run his hands through his hair in frustration.

"Now I have to clean up this mess!" Red grumbled but took a step back when a flash of light occurred and he found Ash standing in front of him. Ash tilted his head and threw Red an odd look before looking to the ground and realized he was stepping in something very sticky.

"Really Red?" Ash asked sarcastically only to be interrupted by Red's outburst.

"Arceus dammit Ash! Now you're going to track this crap all over the floor!" Red growled furiously causing Ash to take a step back nervously. "Chill out dude!" Ash said as he raised his hands in the air. Red simply sighed and asked something Ash had forgotten about well…almost forgot about.

"Yo homes, why you up so late?" Red asked only to watch Ash become crest fallen causing him to feel worried about his friend. "Ash, what's wrong" he asked but was met only by a sigh. After Ash stood there for a few moments he gathered the courage he needed to speak. "Serena and me…I-I mean we confessed that we…that we love each other" Ash whispered causing Red to jump in the air happily but when his feet hit the ground he felt his joy all but vanish. If they told each other then why was Ash upset?

"What did she say?" Red asked.

"She can't give me an answer if she wants to be in a relationship with me even though she said she loves me" Ash mumbled causing Red to become rather confused. "If that chick said she loves you but she doesn't know if she wants to date you then she's got some issues man" Red stated making Ash chuckle sadly. "Maybe she does Red, or maybe she doesn't. I don't think I should stay in Kalos any longer, I'm going home"

"Home? You mean Pallet Town?" Red asked to which Ash nodded his head causing Red to to clench his fists. "So you're just going to leave, is that it? Give up everything you have done so far and just run away?"

"It's not like that-"

"Oh really, then tell me how it is Ketchum!" Red snapped. "I told her I would leave her alone Red!" Ash countered feeling frustrated. "I told her she didn't need to give me an answer now but if I stay here then I'm only going to get hurt, I'm going home!" Ash yelled causing Red to shake his head in disappointment.

"Don't give up yet bro-"

'No Red" Ash said sternly. "I'm going to go back home, nothing is going to change my mind. You are to stay here do you understand?"

"Don't tell me what to do" Red growled causing Ash to sigh. "Red I'm asking you, as a friend, just…respect my decision" Ash said sadly causing Red's eyes to water, how could the great Ash Ketchum be broken so easily by a single girl, not that he thought girls were weaker than men or anything; just that it took one person to break his friend like this. "Fine" Red replied as he turned around as a lone tear slid down his cheek. "I'm going to bed, do what you want Ash" Red mumbled before walking away from him. Ash looked at Gallade for a moment and asked "Am I making the right choice?"

"Any choice you make master is the one I will follow" Gallade replied causing Ash to smile. He walked over to the room he was staying in and found Pikachu laying on his back sound asleep, Ash took his partner in his arms and Pikachu suddenly stirred though he could not tell what was happening due to the fact half of him was still in dream land.

"Gallade…let's go home" Ash whispered before being engulfed in a bright light and as it faded he was no where to be found, but he never noticed the cap wearing boy looking into his room through a crack in the door.

_This Serena chick…she's broke him._

* * *

The town of Pallet was absolutely silent, everybody was asleep in their beds and not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; though one person, a girl to be specific, lay on the bed of an aspiring Pokemon trainer in his home only to be accompanied by the boy's mother who had fallen asleep. She stared at the ceiling and could see many posters taped to the ceiling of types of Pokemon or gym leaders. She found herself chuckling at the thought of Ash Ketchum being so childish even at the age of…well however many years he was. She found herself shriek in surprise as a bright light blinded her and lit the room up. She felt a heavy foreign object fall onto her chest and after the light had faded she opened her eyes and felt her cheeks turn bright red. On her chest was the boy she had been thinking about, Ash Ketchum had appeared seemingly out of thin air. "Ash? Is that you?" The girl asked finally snapping the trainer out of his daze due to being blinded still by the bright light created by Gallade's teleport attack. When he opened his eyes he felt his heart beat increase dramatically when he found himself on top of a girl he had met along time ago.

"Miette? What are you doing here?"

* * *

**Well that's all for today, I'm sorry it's just a few hundred words shorter than my usual chapters but I felt like this was a good stopping point. So it seems like Ash and Serena are not in a relationship quite yet, yet being that it's going to happen because well…the God damn pairing is listed in the description thingy. These feelings and concepts are so new to both Ash and Serena and I thought it would be neat to make it a bit more realistic because who wants to read a story simply filled with "I love you Ashy" or "my love" no none of that bullshit. Bye guys!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys I'm back! Well I beat the hard Crota raid and got me a Fang of Ir Yut and my God it is awesome! Also I got a second Vex Mythoclast ^_^ Anyways I'm glad people liked how I approached my last chapter and I plan on this strategy to really tease both Ash's and Serena's feelings, I mean I love fics where one of the two characters in the pairing finds the other doing something that upsets them such as Ash kissing a girl or Serena kissing a guy and what not. Though I don't really like it if it involves a female character getting very interested in another person. I mean I'm fine for example with Drew because he was a reoccurring character and a possible love interest for May so it would be good to use that relationship for writing material but I don't know why but when that piece is applied to Serena it just is an immediate turn off depending on how the relationship blossoms. I think I feel this way because in the previous seasons Ash's female companions had a rival or friend that could serve as a love interest, such as May and Drew, Misty and Tracey, Dawn and Paul or Kenny. Iris is an exception but since I hate Iris (So do many others) I really don't care. But here we have Serena…I don't know but I really hope Ash's rival in the anime becomes Alain (the guy in the mega evolution specials) I mean he will appear very soon…HINTY HINT HINT! Enjoy guys! **

_**Daily Quote: "How many times?! Steiner was at Rebirth Island! We had to kill Steiner!" Alex Mason Call of Duty Black Ops**_

* * *

_'He had said that she didn't have to give him her answer yet, but how long until he wouldn't care anymore?'_ Serena thought to herself and sighed sadly. After Ash had left her to be alone she returned back to Prism Tower and once again sat in Bonnie's room. Her back was to the wall and her knees tucked into her chest, her eyes bloodshot from her crying while tears still sliding down her cheeks because of how frustrated she felt. She had wanted this so long, to be in a relationship with her childhood friend Ash Ketchum, a boy who she had lost long ago when she moved only to be reunited with him by sheer luck; or was it fate?

"I love him so much but why do I feel like this is wrong?" She pondered aloud. She had refused to be in a relationship with a boy during her entire life and true to her word she had not been, for she believed her heart belonged to Ash Ketchum…but there was that one time she had wavered and considered that she may have harbored feelings for the disgraceful Kalos Champion Calem.

"I've wanted this for so long but time and time again I was hurt by him…he was so dense back then, he must have put on a good mask" She whispered. She had second guessed her feelings for Ash in the past even though she was so sure that he was the one she wanted and now it was simply happening again. She rested her head between her knees and began to silently cry yet again. So much had happened in just two days! She had finally reunited with the one she cherished after losing him for a grueling four years and only one day later kissed him but the results were not what she wanted. Serena stood up and silently slid out of the room and walked down the hall to the kitchen. Her thought was sore and scratchy from her sobbing and she needed to get a drink. When she walked into the kitchen she opened the door to the fridge but found its contents all misplaced and disheveled as if somebody had been searching for something. "Ahah!" She said as she spotted a bottle of water laying on the top shelf. She shut the door and opened up the bottle and took a sip before turning around. The kitchen was dark but she could make out a silhouette sitting at the table in the near distance. She knew that Clemmont and Bonnie had fallen asleep and realized it had to be Ash, the boy who had caused her so much joy and frustration in the past two days. She began to walk over to the table and poked on the figures back. When she noticed the boy in front of her flinch she mumbled "Ash can we talk about what happened earlier?"

"Oh it's you" The figure said but Serena took a step back. The figures voice was not one she recognized to be Ash's or anyone that was staying in the tower. "W-Who are you?" Serena asked fearfully believing it was a burglar.

"My name is Red" The boy said as an ominous wind blew through an opened window and the shades had blown aside allowing the moon to brighten up the room. In front of her sat a boy with a similar hairstyle as Ash and a red jacket. She saw his hat rested on the table and in his hand was a can of soda, she gasped after remembering Ash refer to a new friend he had brought with him named Red. "Oh so you are Red…" Serena said as she let out a relieved sigh knowing now that she wasn't in danger. "Well my name is S-"

"I know what your stupid name is!" Red spat interrupting her with venom clearly in his tone. "I know who you are Serena Yvonne and I want absolutely nothing to do with scum like you!"

"Scum? Who do you think you are?" Serena growled at the newcomer not liking how she was being treated.

"I think I am a friend of somebody that doesn't deserve you!" Red yelled before slamming his fists onto the table causing Serena to cringe, she hoped that Red's yelling wouldn't stir her friends.

"Doesn't deserve me? You mean Ash?" Serena asked quizzically feeling alarmed by the boy who was now breathing heavily as if he was an enraged Tauros. He stood up with his hands balled up into fists and turned around to face the girl who he had begun to despise. Serena was surprised when she saw tears in Red's eyes and became very confused as to if Ash's friend was either angry or sad. She felt herself cringe at Red's words.

"You broke him, you broke him!" Red yelled furiously as he swung his right arm to his side. "He trusted you, he loved you, he believed in you and what does he get? Well do you know little Serena?!"

"I-I don't know" Serena whimpered feeling threatened by the boys presence.

"He left because of you" Red said in a low voice before pointing his finger and exclaiming "He left because of YOU!"

"He left…because of me?" Serena gasped feeling her heart slowly break in two. The boy who she had cared so much about that had returned her feelings had left because of her.

"Yes, he left because of some stupid girl he had fallen for long ago!" Red growled. "He loved you Serena, he loved you and you broke him Serena! Not that shitty champion, not all the things his friends accomplished while he was gone, because of YOU and only YOU!" Red seethed. "He believed in you and when you two confessed to each other that should have been it but no, you had to break him yet again! You had to second guess your feelings for him after telling him you loved him! Do you know what that feels like? To have someone tell you they love you but only for them to second guess those feelings in a matter of minutes? Well Ash does! I do! So many people have and you…you just hurt people like Ash. I don't understand why he was so obsessed with finding you but I wish he had changed his mind. He regrets coming here, did he tell you that? Did he tell you that he regrets telling you he loved you? Did he tell you that he was going to go back to Kanto all because of YOU!"

"I-I didn't mean for this to happen!" Serena exclaimed as she failed to fight back the red hot tears that slid down her cheeks.

"Well too bad! I bet Ash is going to do the same exact thing that I did, he is going to disappear again but this time he isn't coming back!" Red yelled before walking by Serena while purposely bumping into her. He looked at the girl behind him and Serena could see the hatred and anger in his eyes. "You don't deserve Ash, and you never will" And with that he walked out of the room leaving Serena heartbroken. Red was right, she didn't deserve Ash Ketchum…

_What have I done?_

* * *

"Morning sweetie!" Greeted the brown haired woman

"Morning mom" Ash said groggily to his mother as he took a wobbly step out of his bed. His sheets lay scattered across the floor and his pillow was on the opposite end of the bed with a now wide awake Pikachu plopped on top of it. Delia walked over to her sons best friend and gave him a gentle scratch behind the ear resulting in an affectionate coo from the yellow mouse. She turned to her son and saw his sad eyes directed to the floor causing her usual cheery smile to fade and be replaced with a frown. She walked over to her son and knelt down so she was eye level with the depressed boy.

"She didn't say no" Delia said with a sad smile only to be met with a monotonic "But she didn't say yes either" from her son. Delia sighed knowing that Ash was most likely going to be experiencing his first heart break and this is something every person must go through. "But she didn't say no Ash; don't give up till it's over, isn't that what you told her back then?" She asked.

"You don't get it mom! It is over and I have given up!" Ash exclaimed causing Delia to chuckle. "I was a teen once upon a time as well Ash, and it is perfectly normal to feel the way you do right now"

"So it's good that I feel crummy?" Ash asked in a sad tone causing Delia to shake her head. "You know what I mean Ash" Delia replied running her fingers through her sons wild hair. "Everybody experiences heartbreak at some point during their lifetime, maybe even more than once!" When she didn't see Ash's mood lighten she sighed before asking "If you have given up then why not give that girl here a try?"

"You mean Miette?" Ash asked before shaking his head in defiance. "I don't like her that way mom! She is just a friend!" He exclaimed embarrassingly with his cheeks glowing.

"Why not Ash? She seems really nice and can cook too" Delia said in a playful tone giving her son a wink. She took notice that Ash's frown had yet to be replaced by a smile.

"She hasn't said no Ash" Delia said in a comforting tone.

"What difference would it make mom? When I traveled with her she told me she was going to say yes when Calem asked her out!" Ash said in a low tone but there was noticeable anger in it.

"But she also said that there was another boy she liked too Ash!" His mother chided only to be met with a confused expression from her son.

"Yeah…but how do you know about that?" Ash asked her causing Delia to gasp. She forgot that Ash didn't know that Serena had talked to her about it resulting in internal panic before deciding to say something that Ash could really argue with her about.

"Just a bit of woman's intuition" She replied causing her son to groan. "Just give Miette a try Ash, you may end up liking her!"

"I don't know…I'll think about it if that's what you really want" Ash sighed.

"That's all I am asking" Delia replied as she gave her son a quick a quick hug before leaving the room. Ash stood still in the same place he had been moments before. He noticed Pikachu giving him a worried glare and Ash sigh sadly. "Serena…" He whispered softly.

_My hurting will be ended when you return to end it_

* * *

The sun shined through the blinds of the sibling of the Lumiose City's gym leaders home. Though both siblings had gone out to eat breakfast Serena had been left behind with no one to vent to. She, as well as her friends, did not know where Red had disappeared off to; his room was a mess and there was no sign of his pokeballs and much to Clemmont's surprise all of the soda that he had kept in the fridge. Serena could only assume that Red had done the same as Ash had done the previous night, leave because of her presence. She was sitting on the table with head in her hands. After much thought and consideration Serena had come to believe that Ash was undoubtably the boy she wanted the spend the rest of her life with…or at least a good portion of it. She didn't know why she said the things she had last night but it terrified her, she couldn't stand the thought of Ash leaving again. If he left and didn't come back this time she didn't know what she would do!

"How could I have done this? How could I have broken his…his heart?" She asked herself sadly. The boy that had cared for her may ultimately despise her now and that thought made her stomach churn in disgust. The tears had not stopped dripping down her cheeks since her encounter with Red, she hadn't gotten any sleep either. Her hair was messy and her eyes devoid of their usual optimism being bloodshot. "I've betrayed him…I've broken him…He loved me and I…I unknowingly turned him down!" She whispered before breaking down into tears once more. Everything she had accomplished was now meaningless to her because without Ash she would t have accomplished anything; without Ash…

_She was nothing_

"I can't let this happen again…" Serena whispered sadly before her eyebrows narrowed as she stood up. She knew what she needed to do. She needed him, she needed Ash Ketchum back in her life. She walked over to Clemmont's room and slowly peeked through a crack in the door. She felt her heart racing at the thought of going into a boys room, a friends room for that matter. The only time she had been in a boys room was Ash's when he had disappeared for four years because of..

_All because of me_

She slowly slipped into the room with her cheeks ablaze, one would think that an inventor would be organized but all Serena saw were pieces and scraps of metal strewn across the floor, blueprints laying on desks, models of various things hanging from the ceiling, to her it was a big mess but for Clemmont she could only assume that it was a paradise. She looked around and eventually found what she had been seeking, a video phone but this one looked as if it had been taken apart and put back together. She walked over to the screen and shakily moved her hand to the keypad and typed in the number of the Ketchum household, a number that she had memorized long ago and reached for the phone and pulled it to her ear. The screen lit up but she felt her hope slowly crumble when she saw only static on the screen. She dropped the phone and it would have hit the floor if not for the extension cord connected to it and the video screen. Tears began to well up in her eyes as she began to sob silently into her hands. She had ruined everything she had strived for since she had met the boy she had fallen for and no one was to blame but her and only her. She had single handedly not only unintentionally get rid of any chance of a relationship with the boy she loved but also had ruined the friendship they had once shared.

"I-I'm so sorry Ash" She whispered through choked sobs as if he was right next to her, she wished he was; but he wasn't. All hope had been lost, she would never see him again…The boy she loved so much would never be able to return the feelings he had confessed to….but when every life meets another…

_Something is born_

* * *

_Ring ring ring, ring ring ring, Phone Call Phone call ring ring-_

"Hello?" Asked an auburn eyed boy as he picked up the phone. The screen portrayed an image of a crying girl that the boy knew all too well.

"S-S-Serena?" The boy stuttered.

* * *

Serena continued to sob into her hands releasing all the bottled up feelings she had come to have for Ash Ketchum, the boy she loved who she would never see again. The screen was still static and she had given up all. Her sobbing was interrupted however when she thought she heard a voice, it was faint but it was defiantly there. She knew that Bonnie and Clemmont wouldn't have returned yet and Red had fled to Arceus knows where but she was positive that there was a voice. But where was it?

* * *

Serena? Serena what's wrong?" Ash asked frightened by the image of her crying. She refused to answer him and there was no sound and Ash began to grit his teeth in anger. "Is this supposed to a joke Serena? Cause I'm not laughing!

Serena!

* * *

"_Serena!" _

There was that voice again, but this time it was noticeably louder and undoubtably closer. It sounded so small but she knew it was there. A sudden thought dawned on her as she moved her hands from her face. No longer was there static on the screen, but an image of a face, a boys face, his face…was there. Serena gasped at the sight and immediately grabbed the dangling phone.

"Ash!"

* * *

_"Ash!"_

"That wasn't funny Serena" Ash said angrily to the girl on the screen. "Why would you do that? You had me worried!"

Ash I'm so sorry! The screen was all static when I called and I didn't know you were there!" Serena pleaded.

"How do I know that…how do I know if you are telling the truth?" Ash asked monotonically causing Serena's eyes to water. "Ash, I would never lie to you!" Serena exclaimed.

"You said you loved me!" Ash yelled causing his friend to cringe. "you second guessed your feelings! You lied to me!"

"I wasn't lying Ash!" Serena screeched causing Ash to take a step back surprised by her sudden out burst. "You wanted an answer Ash Ketchum and do you know what it is? I love you!" She yelled emotionally over the phone but her heart began to shatter when Ash's face fell. "What's wrong? Isn't this what you wanted?" Serena asked softly.

"It was…no… Is what I want" Ash replied but his expression did not change. "I just…"

"You just what?" Serena asked fearfully.

"I don't know if I want to be in a relationship with somebody who isn't sure about their feelings" Ash said sadly causing Serena's lip to quiver.

"But I am sure Ash! I've never been so sure of what I've wanted in my life than right now! I have had feelings for you since we were children for pete's sake!" Serena said trying her best not to cry beginning to see where this discussion was going.

"That was a childish crush…" Ash replied with a dark look on his face.

"No it wasn't! When I left Pallet I never forgot what you said, I brought that handkerchief with me everywhere I went! My mom tried to throw it out on numerous occasions and I always told her no! I told her it belonged to the boy I loved Ash Ketchum! She always tried to persuade me, saying that you had forgotten about your promise we made back then to find each other again! That you had forgotten about me but I never believed her! I was so sure of my feelings and when I saw you on tv-"

"You saw me on tv?" Ash asked with a perplexed look on his face.

"Yeah I did…the only reason I knew you were in Kalos was because they broadcasted the Garchomp incident...and when I saw that I went to go find you! I knew it was you from the moment I saw your face! You didn't even remember me, my mom was right but I didn't care and I still don't care! I knew that deep down you remembered me and I stayed there with you Ash because I liked you, that childish crush lasted w very long time and morphed into something beautiful during our journey and I have never been so sure about anything before. I loved you Ash! When you disappeared I was broken! I was nothing…but you found me again and I don't care if my title of Kalos Queen is tarnished because of what happened because you came back! When you told me you loved me I was so happy that you had came back to my life! I was scared Ash! I was scared that I would screw up! I was afraid I would ruin our friendship and look at what I've done Ash! I've screwed up and ruined everything!" Serena said through her choked and feverish sobbing.

"You're right Serena…you ruined our friendships" Ash said sternly causing Serena to cry harder than she had ever before.

_But_

That single word was enough to make her look at his distorted face on the screen. "B-But what?" Serena asked.

"But you made something better than friendship" Ash said with a smile that he had not had since the night before. "Something…better than friendship?" Serena whispered questionably.

"That's right" Ash nodded his head in confirmation. "You wrote a new chapter in my life Serena, and there is nobody I would rather spend it with than…than with you, Serena" Did her ears deceive her? Did Ash say what she thought he said. "I love you Ash Ketchum" Serena said with a smile.

"I…I love you too Sere-"

"Ash, who are you talking to?" A voice asked off screen, a female voice, one that made Serena cringe.

"Ash? Who is that?" Serena asked anxiously.

"It's complicated" Ash replied with a straight face. "I would love it if you could come and visit-"

"Ash answer me when I'm talking to you!" The girl said as she approached the screen and Serena's eye widened as she moved her hands to her mouth.

"M-M-Miette?" Serena stammered causing the purple haired girl on the screen turn her head towards the camera and a snarky smile formed on her lips.

"Oh why hello Serena!"Miette sneered causing the honey haired girl to ball her hands up into fists. Why was SHE with Ash? Did Ash and Miette become an item? Was Ash just playing with her feelings? He wouldn't do that…would he?

"A-Ash?" Serena stuttered in a questioning tone causing Ash to scowl and this action only frightened her more. "W-W-Why is Miette at your house?"

"Because we are dating silly!" Miette exclaimed giving Ash a kiss in the cheek causing the raven haired boys cheeks to redden. Ash turned towards Serena and saw the broken expression plastered upon her face and he began to panic.

"Serena it isn't what it looks like!" Ash exclaimed nervously but his fears only grew at the expression on Serena's face. "It's ok Ash…I understand how it is" Serena said softly trying to hold back tears.

"Serena wait!" Ash said loudly fearing the worst. He had learned about Serena's feelings towards Miette from his mother the night before and he knew exactly how things would end unless he turned the tables quickly.

"Red was right…I don't deserve you" Serena said with her lips quivering. She now understood what Red meant by being broken, she felt the same pain that Ash had felt during their previous situation. "I'm so sorry Ash…" Serena whispered causing Ash to groan in frustration and shoved the girl clinging to his side like glue away and slammed his hands onto the table in front of the camera.

"Serena listen to me! It isn't true, I love you!" Ash pleaded but watched as Serena took a step back. "You…You don't have to lie anymore. I'll leave you be so I…So I…So I don't hurt you anymore" Serena stammered trying her best to stop the tears that threatened to escape from her blue eyes.

"Serena wait-" Ash yelled but watched as the screen turned black. He felt a single tear slide down his cheek before turning towards Miette who was staring at him with an innocent look. "Why was she freak out like that Ash?" She asked as if she was clueless as to what she had just done but this only made Ash grit his teeth in frustration.

"Cut the act Miette" Ash said in a lethal tone before pointing to the door. "I want you to leave my home now. Go away!" Ash said angrily as Miette sadly complied with her head hung low as she walked out of the door. After she had left Ash sighed sadly and put his hands against his of face sadly. He was so close to being happy again, so close! He understood why Serena acted the way she did and he didn't even get to forgive her! It was ok to be scared of something new especially something as big as this. He dashed quickly over to the phone and tried to call Serena back but it was hopeless…she did pick up…why would she? Her heart had just been broken. Ash slammed his fist into the screen but not hard enough to crack the screen. He shut his eyes and began to cry. Even if this was his first crush, his first love…his feelings for Serena were stronger than most people his age would have in regards to a relationship. She had ruined everything, Miette had ruined everything. A tear rolled down his cheek and his thoughts were only interrupted by a soft noise, a ringing noise.

_Ring ring ring, ring ring ring, Phone call! Phone call!_

Ash felt his eyes widen at the caller ID that appeared in the screen, it was Clemmont's but hadn't Serena just called him using that number? He immediately grabbed the phone and answered the call but before he could speak a voice, a girl's voice, interrupted him.

_"Mom…I'm going to be away for a while…on a journey with Ash…I just wanted to let you-"_

"Serena it's me! It's Ash!" He yelled into the phone happily but was met only by silence. "Serena?" Ash asked hoping she hadn't hung up. "Serena please….please be there!" Ash pleaded softly into the phone. "I don't love Miette, I love you!" He said in an alarmed tone as if he would never be able to say those words again. He felt himself frown when the line was still silent and felt himself bite his lip. "I'm so sorry Serena…I guess you aren't there…" He said softly and was about to hang up but a voice made him freeze in his tracks.

"Do you…do you really mean that Ash?" The voice asked and Ash's heartbeat increased as a smile formed on his face. "Promise me Ash…promise me that you are telling the truth"

"I promise" Ash said softly into the phone and the screen lit up and showed the honey haired girl who had claimed his hear. "I promise" Ash repeated with a bright smile and was met by a smile on Serena's face as well.

"I…I believe you Ash" Serena said happily. "Are we…going to be together again?" She asked nervously as her cheeks began to grow red and she watched as Ash nodded his head.

"We will be together again Serena…I'm going to be waiting here for you…you know that right?" He asked with a coy smile.

"I do Ash" Serena said softly before moving her hand to her heart. "Does this mean that we are now an…i-item?" She asked with her crimson cheeks.

"Only if that is what you want" Ash replied with an equal blush of his own but was met by a quivering smile from the girl he had longed to see for the past four years. "That is what you want…isn't it?" He asked.

"Yes…I'm sure if it Ash" Serena smiled before moving her hands to the screen and put them together so that her fingers formed a heart.

_I have never been so sure of anything in my life_

* * *

**Well guys how did you like it? I personally think it was a good chapter, their bonds were tested and it seems like that they are now together! Did anybody else notice those Kingdom Hesrts references? I did! Before I leave should I start naming my chapters again? I'll let you decide! I don't know how long this story is going to be but I plan on finishing it, I am either going to write a few more chapters and end it there or continue it and add some other plot elements that really test their new relationship. Till next time R&amp;R guys**

**:)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey guys I'm back! I was on spring break…is that what it's called? Anyways I got a week off from school and I undoubtedly needed it! Now on a different topic I am kinda in a bit of a pickle in regards to this story. I have a lot of ideas I want to use but I just don't think I can use them with this story, I mean I can but it would be kind of unnecessary and I can't really tie those ideas in with the current status of this story. What I'm thinking about is wrapping this story up and starting a new project with these ideas. I can make something amazing material with these ideas but I can't use them in "Strength of One's Heart" Now I'm not abandoning the story because as I just said I'm wrapping it up in a few chapters or so. Anyways I want to give a quick shoutout to "Aura Guardian 03" who is currently writing some fics and you guys should go and check them out because I bet he would appreciate that :) Enjoy guys! **

**_Daily Quote: "I walked in to my sister's room and slipped on her bra. It was a booby trap." Ellie The Last Of Us_**

* * *

"That's great honey!" Delia said to her son with a warm smile. After Ash had told her what had happened with Miette and Serena she had lost the respect that she once had for the purple haired girl. To counter this though was the news of Ash and Serena getting together. Delia had known Serena when she was but a mere child and through the visits the two had, though infrequent, she began to see the honey haired girl in a new light in regards to being her sons partner. She wasn't surprised when her son had instantly come out of his depression and was now energetic as ever after receiving the news he had. She was snapped out of her thoughts when Ash continued on with the conversation he had involved her in.

"I know! I've wanted this for so long mom" Ash said happily but was met with an odd look from his mother. He gave her a questioning glacé and her response came in the form of a question. "These concepts seem so out of character, what has happened to my son?" She asked with a playful smile.

"Being away for a while really helps a guy set his priorities straight and Serena had somehow managed to climb her way pretty high up on that list" Ash chuckled with a forced smile. The past four years had been painful for him between training his Pokemon and being tormented by thoughts of Serena. His training originally suffered setback after setback until he was able to move on from his depression and the end result was his Pokemon being stronger than ever.

"I can tell" Delia giggled but knew that Ash's smile was forced; she decided to speak nothing of it though, believing it would be best to leave it be. "Let me guess, mothers intuition?" Ash asked sarcastically.

"You know it" Delia replied with a wink resulting in a mother and son sharing a laugh. Delia was thrilled to see her son all chipper like he had been in the past; she found it hard to believe that her son was broken because of a single girl, something of which he had never shown any interest in before. She had always loved Serena since she had first laid eyes on her…but that was so long ago, she was no longer the cute little child with the straw hat or as Ash occasional referred to her as "Straw Hat Girl", now she was all grown up just like her son. Nobody was going to be looking over Serena's shoulder anymore as well as her own sun, they were young adults and it was time for them to step up to the plate. It began the couples job to take care and watch out for each other, there would be no more spoon feeding the two anymore; it was time for both her son and Serena to finally create the path that they would follow for the rest of her life. However Delia had one fear…

_Serena_

She was fearful of what may happen between Serena and Ash, if something were to happen between and it resulted in them breaking up how would they take it? Would they still be friends? Would Ash become broken again and leave? These thoughts quickly dissipated and Delia sighed. Serena was one of the most caring people she had ever met and she was certain that Serena would take good care of her son. Maybe they would even-

"Mom? You there?" Ash asked while waving his hand in front of her face effectively snapping his mother out of her thoughts. "Sorry Ash, I guess I was lost in my thoughts" Delia confessed while nervously scratching her cheek, a trait that Ash had inherited from her.

"It's ok, I was just wondering if…" Ash said but his voice began to trail off leaving Delia clueless. She threw him a motherly look and Ash sighed. "I was wondering if Serena could…you know…" He found himself unable to finish his question, he knew that if he asked then his mother would never let him hear the end of it but sadly this was something Delia had already began to do.

"Wondering if what?" Delia asked as a coy smile appeared in her face causing Ash to groan. "I was wondering if Serena could…and stay here for awhile?" Ash asked with a deep red blush tinting his cheeks which resulted in Delia deciding to poke some fun with her son.

"Serena? Stay with us? Such a bold move Ash but I don't think you should be engaging in-"

"STOP! It isn't like that!"Ash yelled causing Delia to laugh hysterically at her sons outburst. "I'm just teasing Ash" His mother replied after she had calmed herself down before laughing again due to the face Ash was making.

* * *

Though she was half way across the world from her childhood home, Serena found herself in a similar situation as Ash had been in with his mother.

"My little girl is growing up! This is just to precious!" Grace squealed enthusiastically while internally snickering at the blush that had made its way onto her daughters face.

"Mom could you like stop?" Serena pleaded with an annoyed tone. Since she had returned home to Vaniville Town and told her mom the news, which she regretted almost immediately, she had not heard the end of it from her mother. "But why Serena? Isn't this what you've wanted for a long time? To have your Prince Charming?" Grace teased with a wink causing her daughter to blush.

"Mom!" Serena shouted out of embarrassment.

"Ok, I'm done now sweetie" Grace sighed before giving an inaudible chuckle. "Good!" Serena pouted before turning her back to her mother. "That wasn't funny you know" She grumbled before feeling her mother place a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry Serena, I guess I got a little carried away" Grace apologized with a smirk Serena could not see. She lowered her head to her daughters ear and whispered "You better not get carried away either"

"Mom!" Serena shouted as her face became beet red. She had never expected her mother to make a comment as such. Serena nervously bother lip before quickly running away from her mother, up the stairs, and slammed the door to her room after she was safely inside. This behavior only made Grace laugh harder. Boy oh boy, it was so much fun being a mother!

* * *

Serena threw herself lifelessly onto her bed and felt her body to go limp as she began to relax. Her face was still the deep shade of red as it had been only moments ago but the things her mother had said hurt her deeply. She remembered the night that Ash had disappeared she had phoned her mother and told her that Calem, the winner of the Kalos League, had asked her out on a date and wanted her to be his girlfriend. This was of course before the disappearance of Ash though at that moment of time the raven haired boy had not been on her thoughts what-so-ever. Her mother, like now, had been reacting to the news of Calem in the same manner as she was now though back then it was less enthusiastic.

Serena pushed her thoughts to the back of her mind as she stared at the ceiling mindlessly thinking about the one boy that had been with her since the beginning, Ash Ketchum. The raven haired boy had been so dense back when they traveled together but upon him revealing to her that he had feelings for her even back then she thought to herself 'He must have put a very good mask on' the mask metaphorically representing hiding his feelings like a mask would hide somebody's identity. However now she felt her attitude shift to a darker place, guilt.

"Red was right…" Serena whispered to herself sadly. She really didn't deserve Ash Ketchum, she had caused him so much pain. Heck she was the entire reason that he had disappeared of the face of the earth for a period of four years. She could only imagine the turmoil she must have put Ash through, though unintentional it still hurt just as bad. She began to reflect upon how much Ash had impacted and changed her life, she was so lucky to have met the auburn eyed trainer. It seemed that she was often the damsel in distress and Ash was always there to protect her, to keep her safe, just like he had all those years ago…

* * *

_Flashback: Professor Oak's Summer Camp_

_An eight year old Serena was walking through the forest beside the camp by herself. She sighed sadly as she trudged her way along. She didn't even want to come here, her mother forced her to go against her will. The excuse? Her mother had said that she needed to make new friends, though she had lived in Pallet Town her entire life she was so quiet and shy she had yet to make even a single friend during the eight years of life she had lived. _

_She then heard a rustling in the bush. She stopped and eyed the bush. "Umm, hello? Is anybody in there?" she asked timidly. There was no response. "Hello?" she asked again. There was still no response. She slowly started walking toward the bush as she felt the muscles in her body increase in tension as a powerful wave of anxiety and was about to peak when all of the sudden, a small tadpole like Pokemon jumped out of the bush. She recognized the Pokemon almost immediately, she like the other campers had learned about some water type Pokemon during one of Professor Oak's lectures but regardless it had frightened her._

_Serena was so startled that she tripped and fell backwards, . "Owww!" she cried as she felt herself crash onto the ground, she had t even noticed the straw hat that had been resting on top of her head fall off. The Poliwag just looked at her innocently and waddled off into another part of the forest. Serena had however scraped her knee pretty badly when she fell and it really hurt. She couldn't even stand up._

_Serena then began to cry when she could see blood begin to slowly seep out of the wound. Where were the camp counselors at? They were supposed to be at every area, after all Professor Oak wasn't dumb enough to let the campers go out into the forest without any kind of guardian. _

"_I didn't even want to come to this stupid camp in the first place," she said in between tears as she tightly shut her eyes.. "I wish someone would come to help me. MAMAAAAA!" she cried out._

_Just then, she heard more rustling from the bushes prompting her eyes to open almost instantly. She hoped it was one of the counselors, maybe Daisy Oak or even her own mother; but what if it wasn't? What if it was another Pokemon, only more dangerous than a Poliwag? Serena stared fearfully at the bush and shut her eyes tightly once more as tears flowed down her cheeks. Much to her surprise it wasn't a wild pokemon that came out of the bush, not even one of the camp counselor either; a raven-haired boy emerged from it. The boy's messy jet-black hair would make some believe he was as wild as his hairstyle but his warm auburn eyes told her otherwise. She sighed with relief that it was just one of the campers and not something scary. They hadn't been formally introduced, but she believed his name Ash Ketchum; she remembered this because yesterday during one of the Professor's lectures, his grandson Gary Oak and Ash had gotten into a fight over type advantages. Ash had said that type advantages had nothing to do with a battle and that friendship would always prevail and she secretly admired a thought like that; however Gary had scolded the raven haired boy, claiming that Ash's accusations were irrelevant and that at the end of the day only the stronger Pokemon would win. She wasn't exactly a fan of Gary's cocky attitude, he had shunned her after noticing how shy she was and paid her no attention much like the other campers._

_"Hmm, where is it?" Ash said to himself and that statement reminded Serena what she was supposed to be doing in the forest, they were on a scavenger hunt! He then noticed Serena. He walked up to her and gave her a warm smile. "Hi. My name is Ash Ketchum! What's yours?" He asked._

_"I-I'm Serena," she said timidly not looking the boy in the eyes and staring timidly at the ground. _

_"Why are you on the ground, Serena?" the raven-haired boy asked._

_"I fell, and hurt my leg," Serena whimpered, grimacing at the pain as tears once again began to drip down her cheeks but she was shocked at what Ash had done next._

_"That's okay. I'll help you," Ash said as he set down his things, things being the very few items he had found. He then bent down and pulled a blue cloth out of his shorts pocket. Serena watched him as he began to tie the cloth over her leg and she winced slightly but paid it no attention._

_'This is really nice of him' she thought to herself. He could have just ran to get help which would have left her alone again, but he was fixing it himself without anybody giving him the order too. _

_Once Ash was done, he began to wave his hands over the wound. "I'll say a good luck charm really quick. Pain, pain, go away!" he cheered gleefully. ._

_Despite how silly it sounded, Serena thought that it was really sweet and gave Ash a smile of her own, something very rare that she had not really done for any of the campers before. The young girl even felt a slight tinge of red on her cheeks though was unsure as to why this had happened. _

"_Thank you, Ash," she said gratefully._

_"No problem. Can you stand?" Ash asked her with a smile._

_She then began to try, but the pain forced her back down and she began to wimper once more. "It's no use! My leg hurts too bad!" she cried._

_"Never give up until the end!" Ash said as he stood up and offered Serena his hand._

_Serena stared at the open gesture for a moment before she slowly slipped her hand into Ash's._

_What on earth was she doing? She had just met this boy and in less than five minutes she had opened up more to him than anyone before including even her mother! Ash then gave a hard tug and pulled Serena to her feet, but ended up pulling a little too hard causing Serena to fall against Ash in an almost hug- like state. Serena stood surprised for a moment as she leaned against Ash and felt her cheeks go red again. She then pulled away and stared at Ash in surprise. He didn't appear to notice the type of state they were in, all close to each other and instead gave Serena a bright smile._

_"You stood!" Ash said happily before giving her a grin. "Come on. Let's head back to the camp," he said as he began to lead Serena by hand, out of the forest. She mindlessly followed him with her cheeks becoming red once more. "Don't worry, you're going to be A-Ok!" Ash told her with a smile as he continued to lead her by the hand._

_Serena continued to silently follow Ash out of the forest. He was being so nice to her, and they didn't even know each other. First, he ties up her wound with a personal belonging of his being his handkerchief, helps her stand, and even still decided to escort her back to camp even though he could have easily gone alone go get help. This Ash boy…he was by far one of nicest people she had ever met before. Serena felt her cheeks heat up once more as her thoughts wondering to topics such as her future, would Ash be there with her? This simple thought made her cheeks pink at this point. She had come to the conclusion that she wanted to make sure she was by this boys side always._

* * *

"That was so long ago…and even though we had been separated that simple crush had followed me across the world and stayed there, locked inside of my heart all that time" She whispered to herself. She felt herself smile and pulled herself up into a seating position but she heard a knock at her door.

"Come in" Serena called knowing that it was her mother though she was hoping that she wouldn't be teased anymore. The door slowly opened and it her mother walked into her room with a soft smile. She sat down next to her daughter on the bed and simply stared at her with a loving smile.

"My baby girl is growing up" Grace said as she ran her hands through Serena's hair. Serena was about to ask her to stop but when she turned around to meet her mothers face she felt herself grow worried. Her mother had a sad smile as tears slowly dripped down her cheeks. Serena was about to ask her mother if she was ok but instead Grace continued talking. "My baby girl is growing up" Her mother said once more before biting her lip. "You have come a long way from the shy, antisocial girl you were back when we lived in Pallet haven't you?" She asked rhetorically and Serena found herself unable to speak feeling feeling her heart begin to melt.

"You were so naïve back the, saying that you didn't need friends to grow up; all you needed was milk, you said you drank milk. You would say "I don't need friends to grow up because I drink milk" you have grown up so fast Serena" Her mother said softly as she sniffed. "Had it not been for him you may not be the person you have become today, I love that Ash Ketchum dearly sweetie. He has had such a positive impact on your life, shaping you from the inexperienced Pokemon trainer to an unchallenged Kalos Queen for the past four years" She moved her hand to her eye and wiped away some of the tears.

"Youu have done so much that you unknowingly give people happiness; just like he gives you happiness, just like Ash does. He is the reason you have become so strong, thanks to this boy you have matured more than I believed you ever would. You have many close friends now; ones that are there for you in times of need, you have accomplished your dream! All this because of some silly boy" Grace said before pulling her daughter into a tight hug who was also in tears because of the loving words her mother was giving her. Grace slowly moved her head to her daughters ears and whispers "I'm so proud of you Serena" this simple accusation finally made both mother and daughter lose their composer and cry in each others arms. After the crying finally ceased Grace placed her lips onto her daughters forehead and whispered softly "I love you my sweet sweet little girl"

"I love you too mom" Serena said with a soft smile. A thought flew into her head and decided to go with it. "I want to thank you" Serena said softly causing her mother to raise an eyebrow and look at her quizzically. Taking the hint Serena continued. "I didn't even want to go to that stupid summer camp but you made me and I hated-no, hated is a strong word…I was upset with you, but had you not done that I would never have met Ash. Thank you mom" Serena confessed before feeling her mother pull her in for another hug. Instead of thanking her, Serena was surprised when her mother said something that had absolutely nothing to do with this conversation.

"Ash called earlier for you" Grace whispered causing Serena's heart to beat faster.

"W-What did he want?" Serena asked her mother nervously but was surprised when her mother gently took took her hand and placed a plane ticket in the palm of her hand.

"He wants you to go stay with him in Kanto for awhile, take this plane ticket and just go" Her mother said with tears of happiness streaming down her cheeks.

"I love you so much mom" Serena said softly before pulling her mother into another hug to which she returned the gesture.

"I love you too my sweet sweet Serena"

* * *

**Now THAT is what I call a good chapter! I mean this wouldn't be an Amourshipping story without the cheesy flashback back to the fated meeting between Ash and Serena. I got the idea of a scavenger hunt from FanaticLAguy06's fanfic which is amazing just an FYI. Now another reason it took so long with this chapter was because I honestly didn't have an idea on what to write about but this I think is a great chapter and in no way a filler! I have never read a fic where a moment between Serena and her mother, or any family for that matter, have a moment like that and I feel I did a beautiful job with that! R&amp;R Guys!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Well it's that time of the day or is it week? Month maybe? Well who cares haha. Anyways remember how I said I would be wrapping this story up because I had other ideas? I think I MAY have found a way to incorporate those ideas into this story! That means if I decide to do it (which I probably will) that means the story continues! I haven't figured out all the kinks yet but I think it is do-able! I'm glad everybody liked the last chapter; I'm not going to lie, I was afraid people would like it but people did so I guess that's a win :D Now in regards to this story well…if you guys want me to incorporate my ideas into this story spanning it far from the original idea or end "Strength Of One's Heart" in a few chapters and put these ideas into a new story. Let me know in the comments below! Well this isn't youtube so leave a review or a message! I'd do a poll but I don't know how to use them…Besides this way everybody has a say due to the fact I assume that guests can't vote in a poll. Enjoy guys!**

**Daily Quote: "For the wolf to survive, he's gotta chew off his own legs" William Dunn Battlefield 4**

* * *

_Unknown Location_

"He is doing well isn't he brother?'

"Yes brother, that he is" Replied the figure. The two sat in a pitch black room on a sofa that was illuminated only by the smart tv that as hung on the wall. "Mother would be proud the figure said mysteriously.

"Yes…that she would brother" The other said as he gripped a lamp and turned it on. The now lightened room revealed two boys both looking to be over the age of 19.

One was tall young man with a broad and muscular structure. He had black hair slicked back except for the two bangs on each side of his face. He wore a long black coat zipped up over his chest with black boots, shoulder guards and straps crossing over his torso.

The other boy had on black leather clothing with gauntlets and a coat, which was zipped up. The image of a single wing was sewn on the back of his coat. He had shoulder-length silver hair that partially covered his face along with his green cat-like eyes.

"Brother? " The black haired boy asked.

"What is it?" The silver haired one asked.

"When will brother come home?" The black haired boy asked.

"Soon brother, very very soon" The silver haired boy said with a sinister smile. The silver haired boy looked back to the tv and could see the boy who had been running had stopped at a cliff, seemingly out of places to run. The boy was wearing a red jacket and a pair of blue jeans, his belt containing pokeballs sagged towards the ground. He had jet black hair and wore a red cap that was turned around his head with a stubble of his black hair peeking through an opening. In front of him stood a Pikachu who's cheeks were sparking at a Tyranitar who slowly approached the two. The silver haired boy snickered before he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was his brothers.

"We cannot rush things brother, the gathering of the 3 is neigh and we must let the cards fall into their respective places" The black haired boy said. The silver haired boy sighed and rolled up his sleeve revealing an xtransceiver.

"Yanmega fall back, we have seen enough" The silver haired boy said as the screen began to shift and it was as if the camera was flying…or maybe it as attached to a flying type Pokemon…like a Yanmega…

The silver haired boy snickered as he placed his hand on what appeared to be similar to a jewelry box that rested on the coffee table in front of him and said "You can run Red Ketchum, but we are Fragments and we will find you. Very soon"

* * *

"I can't wait to see him!" Serena squealed as she walked out of the Saffron City airport. She had just gotten off of her plane. She was only a couple hours worth of travel away from Cerulean City, where Ash had agreed to meet her, and while the two were there they would visit an old friend of her boyfriend. She felt herself blush when that word crossed her mind. _Boyfriend_. That was a word she had longed to associate with Ash for quite some time and now that she had the privilege to do so it made her feel all bubbly and jittery on the inside.

"Ash is my boyfriend…" She said softly as she moved her hand and placed it over her heart. She felt her cheeks heat up realizing that this meant that she was Ash's girlfriend, another term that she had dreamed of. "I can't believe this is happening!" She shrieked joyfully as she walked down the street towards the gate leading to route five, which led to Cerulean City. She entered the gate and began to walk down the hall until she noticed a man sitting behind a desk. By the desk was a fan that was blowing cold air into the mans face. She looked at the man and sighed before walking over to him.

"Um hello?" Serena said to the man in a quizzical fashion which got his attention.

"Oh why hello there lass!" The man greeted cheerfully though Serena could tell he was trying hard to keep an upbeat attitude. Serena realized that the man was a guard, watching people come and go from Route Five to Saffron City and likewise on a daily basis.

"Is everything ok? You look like your overheated" Serena asked the man with a concerned tone only for the man to shake his head. "No, no, it's fine lass; a little heat won't beat me! I mean I'm a little thirsty but nothing to fuss over!" The guard said in a rather hasty tone causing Serena to roll her eyes. She reached into her bag and pulled out a bottle of water and placed it on the guards desk.

"Take it" Serena said with a cheerful smile as she began to walk away leaving the guard dumbfound. "Thank you!" He called from afar making Serena smile proudly as she walked out if the gate and found herself stunned by the scenery of route five. Flowers and trees were everywhere with branches dancing in the wind. Serena suddenly wished that she could have gone with Ash on his original journey and see things like this. She slowly walked down the cobblestone path admiring everything she saw; from the Pidgeys sitting on the branches to the Nidorans hiding in the grass. It was stunning! She found herself slow her pace and ended up standing in the middle of the path.

"This is beautiful…" She said softly before continuing her journey to Cerulean City.

_Time Skip: 2 ½ hours later…_

"I probably should have asked Ash where we should have gone to meet up…" Serena grumbled as she trudged down the Nugget Bride. She had arrived in Cerulean City 90 Minutes ago and an hour of searching later she found herself in quite the pickle; she couldn't find Ash. She had gone to many places she believed he may be; she checked the Pokemon Center, the Pokemart, heck she had even left the city and ventured north to the house of a boy named Bill who was a genius when it came to technology but Ash was no where to be found! Her thoughts drifted back to Bill and she then thought of Clemmont. The blonde gym leader had been with her during her Kalos journey and whenever Ash wasn't there it was him who aided her in whatever situation she was in. He tried to fix these issues with his inventions which often ended up exploding in their faces and ruining her hair.

'_Maybe I should get Bill to give Clemmont some tips' _She thought to herself and giggled cutely. Though the inventor had ruined her hair more than once she loved him none the less, in a friendly way of course. Her brain suddenly switched gears and her thoughts turned towards a different subject. She had recently been thinking a lot about her first journey but what about his first journey? What about Ash? He had told her stories quite often but the more she thought about it she really didn't know a whole lot about his travels until Kalos.

"Definitely a conversation I can have with him later" Serena said to no one in particular as she walked back into the city. Serena sighed realizing that she still hadn't found Ash.

"Where could he be?" Serena pondered aloud before her eyes widened and she face palmed. "How did I not think to check there?" Serena asked herself before smiling. Some things never changed.

_The Pokemon Gym_

* * *

"They should be on there because like they are having a battle or like something" A pink haired girl said with a grumpy tone.

"Just like hurry up because like we have a show to do in a few hours" said another girl with blue hair.

"Like let's go girls" A girl with golden hair said. The three girls were about to walk out before one said "Have fun with your boyfriend" with a playful wink causing Serena to blush.

"T-Thanks" Serena said nervously as the trio left the room. Serena sighed before facing the doors leading to the pool. The three girls were known as the Sensational Sisters and their names were Lily, Daisy, and Violet. The sisters were initially shocked when Serena had told them that she didn't know who they were which resulted in the trio treating Serena in a less than desirable way. They had told her that Ash was currently at the pool with their fourth sister Misty. She remembered Ash talking about her quite often, saying things about how she was one of his first really good friends he made during his journey. With a deep breath she placed her hands on the double doors and made her way into the pool and felt her eyes widen. There was Misty and her Ash having one of the most intense battles she had ever seen before blushing at the realization that she had once again called her boyfriend_ "Her Ash" _The two did not notice her enter so she silently made her way over to the bleachers so that she could watch the battle.

* * *

"Starmie use rapid spin!" An girl with orange hair exclaimed. Starmie or "Gem of the Sea" had a geometric body type with a red jewel encrusted in the center of its body. The star shaped Pokemon made a grunting noise before it began to spin around quickly like a top and began to charge towards its opponent. Its opponent was a slender orange sea otter with a pale belly spot. The orange colored sea otter's head had two fluffs of fur, both pointing high up. It's nose was small and beady and and it appeared to have stripes on its face. There were fins on its arms that were colored blue and its feet are flat and oval-shaped, and behind them, there are two tails that spun like propellers.

"Buizel use aqua jet to dodge!" Called the raven haired trainer. Buizel's body was suddenly surrounded in gravity defying water and spun his tail and propelled himself to the skies using the water surrounding him like a torpedo and was able to effectively evade the rapid spin attack. The orange haired girl smiled and said "It's nice having a challenge for once!"

"Yeah and I'm going to beat you Misty, just like I did back in the day!" Ash replied to his friend. Misty, bring the girl with orange hair, had grown significantly taller and towered a good few inches over Ash. She wore her two piece due to the fact she was training with her Pokemon in the pool prior to her friends arrival.

"That was just a fluke Ash!" Misty teased as she playfully stuck her tongue out at him. "Had Team Rocket not interfered I would have wiped the floor with you!"

"As if!" Ash smirked before turning his head to his water type Pokemon he had received from a good friend in a trade. He suddenly moved his head towards Misty and yelled "Buizel use aqua tail!" Buizel's tail began to spin quickly as it became engulfed in a large whirlpool. He then pushed all his weight down towards Starmie and began to spin forwards as he descended from the air. Which every spin the sea otter took a wave of water was expelled from the tail at incredible speeds and each made direct contact with the star shaped Pokemon. Buizel quickly closed in on his target and as only a matter of feet away and quickly took one final tumble before his attack would make contact. However Misty had other ideas…

"Starmie intercept with your psychic attack!" Misty exclaimed as the gem on her Pokemon's body began to flow and the star shaped tips on its body began to spin. It grunted loudly as Buizel's attack dispersed before causing any damage and the sea otter was now suspended in mid air clutching its head.

"Buizel no!" Ash exclaimed as Misty smirked. Her Pokemon turned towards her and she gave a nod. "Check mate" Misty said as she snapped her fingers. Starmie slightly tilted its body up before making a sharp jerking motion towards the left side of the gym and sent Buizel flying until making a body shaped indent in the wall. "Buizel no!" Ash yelled as his Pokemon slowly slipped off the wall in a comical matter as if it was somebody had thrown a sticky and soggy piece of meat at the wall and began to slowly slide down it. Ash watched as his Pokemon slowly slipped off of the wall and fell limply back into the pool.

"You did good Ash, just not good enough!" Misty called as she began to chuckle however her laughter ceased upon noticing the smirk plastered on her friends lips and her face paled. Ash had always been one to think outside the box but there is no way he would deliberately want his Pokemon to take such gruesome damage…would he?

"What's so funny Ketchum?" Misty asked as she angrily glared at him knowing that he was up to something.

"You said check mate did you not?" Ash replied rhetorically. "Let's just say the pieces have fallen into their places and this bishop is about to take the win" He turned to the water and exclaimed "Buizel use ice punch!" Under the water like Buizel had a similar smirk similar to his trainers. His tail began to spin as he propelled his body to the center of the pool. His fist began to glow with a light blue tint before being engulfed with a spark-like animation. His fist made contact with the bottom of the floor and ice began to quickly freeze the remainder of the pool.

"Quick Starmie jump in the air!" Misty commanded as her Pokemon left the water and floated mid air just in the nick of time. After the water had frozen the star shaped Pokemon slowly descended to the slick surface and looked around in a rather confusing manner. Misty was confused much like her Pokemon. "Ash, are you trying to lose? You just had Buizel get frozen at the bottom of the pool! What did you think you could actually do?" She exclaimed feeling like she had caused her friend to make a rash decision that resulted in a victory for the Cerulean Gym Leader.

"Well not much" Ash said as he shrugged his shoulder. "But you have forgotten that I have some surprising tricks up my sleeve; like this technique!"

"Technique? Technique?! TECHNIQUE!" Misty exclaimed feeling her blood freeze. '_What on earth is he talking about?'_ She thought to herself before hearing Ash speak.

"Buizel use sonic boom!" Ash yelled making Misty laugh. "Have you forgotten that Buizel's body is encased in ice Ash? He can't move!" She said in a mocking tone. However she couldn't have been any farther from the chest. Unknown to her, Buizel's tail began to slowly spin and as it increased in speed the ice around his body melted away until Buizel had the gift of movement. His tail glowed white as he spun his body around thus sending a white sound wave towards the ice and it traveled at an unimaginable speed. Starmie was suddenly sent flying by a chunk of ice that had been broken by Buizel's attack. Suddenly out of the hole that the ice had been Buizel propelled himself into the air in the form of an aqua jet attack. Misty watched as Buizel suddenly made its way above Starmie though the star Pokemon was quickly approaching. She knew the only way out of this was Starmie's rapid spin attack but before she could call it out Ash called out an attack of his own.

"Buizel finish this and use iron tail! Send that overgrown sea star to the ice!" Ash yelled as his Pookemon's tail began a steel type of color and the flesh became as hard as steal beams. He quickly spun his body around one final time and after shifting all his weight towards the ground he slapped his opponent with his tail and watched as it was sent propelling to the ground.

"Starmie no!" Misty exclaimed as she watched her Pokemon slam into the ice and the impact of the fall had broken it. Starmie now laid in a creator of broken ice and was clearly unable to battle.

"Check mate!" Ash chuckled before feeling a pair of arms wrap around his neck and was initially shocked but almost immediately recognized the sent of flowers…

"Hey stranger" Ash chuckled as he felt the pair of arms withdraw themselves. He turned around and saw none other than his new girlfriend Serena. Referring to her as his girlfriend made him blush momentarily before shaking it off. '_It's just one of the things I have to get used to' _Ash thought to himself before hearing a certain honey colored hair speak.

"Stranger? Oh Ash Ketchum you better not have forgotten who I am again!" Serena giggled cutely causing Ash to groan. "You are never going to let that go are you?" He asked her in an annoyed tone but the answer came out from a different girl.

"No she isn't Ash" Misty said as the raven haired boy turned around. "You are so lucky I wasn't traveling with you because if I was…I would have done this!" She said in a low but lethal tone as she seemingly out of nowhere pulled out her famous mallet and smacked the boy from Pallet Town smack dab on the head knocking him to the ground and resulted in a frightened gasp from Serena.

He looked up at his two friends before playfully whispering "Why does love have to hurt?" which resulted in the two girls to break down laughing. "H-Hey it's not funny!" Ash groaned only causing the girl to laugh even harder which made Ash sigh. "Women..." Ash mumbled under his breath.

* * *

_Unknown location_

_Across the world stood a man and his partner Lucario on the edge of a Clift both with their eyes shut. The man had on a blue trench coat and a blue hat. _

_"Master…?" Lucario said through aura. _

_"Yes Lucario I sense it too" The man said. "A disturbance between space and time…something is happening Lucario" The man said urgently. "It's time old friend…it has begun" The man slowly took off his hat revealing messy jet black hair._

_"But master…it doesn't have to be this way!" Lucario cried out in frustration. _

_"My decision has been made and I will not waver" The man said sternly. "We cannot forestall the approaching conflict my good friend. We are puppets that must simply play their part…the passing must be done-"_

_"But master! If you do this then you will-"_

_"It's ok Lucario" The man said as a lone tear slid down his cheek. "My time is up and I have no regrets…the world needs a new Aura Guardian…a Guardian like Ash Ketchum"_

* * *

**So remember how I said that I was going to finish this up in a few chapters? Yeah well I changed my mind. Time to add a new arc..*sinister laughter* R&amp;R guys!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey guys I'm back! Now before I even get into my intro shoutout to "Brig nodrm2347" for being the ONLY person (to the best of my knowledge) to notice that I specifically said Red Ketchum I mean come on people! Anyways welcome back! I'm very glad people are enjoying the battle scenes, I'm slowly getting better at it but before I continue I want to give a shoutout to "Mighteanas Shadow" the reason I didn't do this last chapter is because well…when I was about to finish writing the chapter the iPad had dropped to 3% battery life and I really wanted to upload the chapter so I didn't do that and immediately formatted the document on the doc manager on the site and uploaded it. When I did this stupid machine was at 1%! Talk about cutting it close! So how is everybody? I'm pretty good, schools wrapping up and during the summer I get to volunteer at a local daycare! I'm so excited :D I don't care how girly it sounds because men can like little little kids too! Well just not in the creepy way! Enjoy guys!**

**Daily Quote: "I refuse to go bungie jumping…I came into this world because of broken rubber, I'm not leaving because of one…" Will Ferrel**

* * *

_"Master…" asked the jackal-like Pokemon said. _

_"Yes Lucario?" _

_"How are we going to find Ash Ketchum? We don't even know where he is or where to start looking?" Lucario asked curiously. The raven haired guardian sighed sadly before turning to his partner and said "You know as well as I do that we can use aura to find him" He looked at Lucario's saddened facial expression and ran placed his hand on his shoulder. "I know you're scared Lucario and I am too but…this needs to be done" The man mumbled. _

_"I'm not scared Master" Lucario said in a strained tone as he moved his paw to the spike on his chest. "You don't need to do this, let me help you-"_

_"Lucario just stop" The man snapped. "Sharing your aura would only destroy you! Lucario…you have no clue how lucky you are to have been able to come back from the dead. I used my own aura to do that and we both know I'm not even a whole person"_

_"Don't say that!" Lucario shouted angrily as he shrugged his master's hand off of his shoulder. "You have the power of aura! Aura means you are alive!" He shouted causing his master to shake his head sadly. _

_"Lucario…We both know that we were revived for only one reason; two people gave up their lives for us and I plan on playing my part" The man said sadly. _

_"Master…" Lucario whispered softly as he looked his partner in the eyes. "I won't let this happen, you will live! Nobody has to die, we can do this ourselves!" He exclaimed._

_"Master Riley gave up his life to save us! He and Lucario took our place as the tree's heart! He wanted us to do this and I will not waver" The man snapped. His expression softened as he walked by Lucario and said "Their sacrifices will not be in vain Lucario and regardless if you like it or not this is my decision, not yours" and with that the man walked away from his distraught partner. Lucario stared at his master feeling frustrated and cheated._

_"Master Aaron…" Lucario said softly before trotting off into the distance in which the current aura guardian had went. Why? Why did his Master-No, his friend choose to sacrifice himself to save the world but give the responsibility of such a task to a mere child? Lucario gritted his teeth believing that his master had made a grave mistake in entrusting the safety of the world to a stupid child. Sure he had met Ash once upon a time and though he had befriended the raven haired boy he couldn't fathom that the Ketchum boy finishing something that a trained aura guardian couldn't. _

_"Please trust me Lucario" a voice said that ended up snapping Lucario out of his thoughts. His master had contacted him through aura. Lucario looked around and could not find him anywhere. With a grunt, Lucario knelt down on one knee before placing his paw on the ground. His paw began to glow blue and blue rings began to pulse out on the ground. His ears suddenly stuck out as straight as a nail and the jackal look-a-like closed his eyes. A series of images appeared as he scanned the surrounding area until he found an all to familiar aura. He snapped his eyes open and took off in the direction in which he had located his master. With ever step Lucario felt his muscles tighten in anger._

_"Why Master Aaron? Why did you choose Ash?" Lucario asked through aura. He continued to run after his friend after not receiving a response for a matter of seconds but he heard his masters voice moments later. _

_"You know as well as I do the lengths that boy would go to protect someone, even if he has not met them before. He cares about all life and has, and continue to risk his life for others" Master Aaron said. _

_"I don't understand!" Lucario exclaimed angrily. "Why can't it be you? Why do you choose to leave the fate of the world in the hands of a child?!" _

_"Even if I did have a choice it wouldn't matter Lucario, you know I am on a timer" Master Aaron replied. "I will only exist in the physical world for so long before I fade away my friend. You however have all the time you want! Master Riley knew that you and only you would be capable of training the next aura guardian to reach his maximum potential."_

_"Why can't we just try to beat the clock?" Lucario asked. _

_"Because we can't Lucario, my existence will not last long enough for us to finish the approaching conflict and we must be ready, HE must be ready" His friend replied. Lucario simply growled feeling his anger about to burst out until he finally exclaimed "You don't have to do this Sir Aaron!"_

_"Do not call me that!" Sir Aaron snapped angrily. "That's not who I am anymore…" He whispered sadly. _

_"But-"_

_"No Lucario" Sir Aaron growled. "The bottom line is that this is MY decision, not yours. End of discussion" and with that the aura powered conversation was ended leaving Lucario feeling heartbroken and lost._

* * *

"So I hear that our dense friend has finally found someone he admires hasn't he?" Misty smirked as she playfully punched Ash's shoulder causing him to slowly inch away from her. Though he knew that the Cerulean City Gym Leader meant no harm frankly she didn't know her own strength. The trio had made their way to the living quarters of the Gym and they had found a couch to sit on. "Who would have thunk it" She teased to which prompted Serena to giggle.

"I guess he has found someone, has't he Misty?" Serena asked rhetorically resulting in Ash to slowly slide down the cushions as if he was trying to hide himself. "You have no clue how many hints I threw his way during the Kalos League journey" She exclaimed causing Misty to glare at Ash wickedly.

"Oh so Mr. Pokemon Master never noticed now did he?" Misty said cracking a sinister grin. "If I was there Serena I think he would have gotten the message rather quickly-" Misty then cracked her knuckles only for Ash to interrupt her.

"Would that message include me leaving for four years?" Ash countered though his intentions were playful the situation as a whole became quickly awkward.

"Well that Uh…that took a dark turn" Misty said nonchalantly as she along with her friends stared at the wooden floor which had suddenly become very interesting to the trio.

"Y-Yeah I guess it did" Serena replied as her tone had softened. She was no longer the cheerful Kalos Queen she had been moments ago; she looked depressed. Ash looked back and forth between his two friends and sighed only for both himself and his girlfriend to jump slightly when they heard Misty shout "Gosh Ash you are so dumb sometimes!"

"Hey! I'm not dumb!" Ash said seeming to have taken offense from the Gym Leaders previous comment. The two suddenly butted heads arguing with each other which only resulted in the Kalos Queen to slowly shrink down in her seat.

"Yes you are Ketchum, just not all the time!" Misty shouted angrily.

"No I am not! Maybe you're just jealous!" Ash yelled back resulting in Misty to laugh sarcastically. "Me? Jealous of you? As if! What do you have that I would be envious for?!" Misty exclaimed.

"You're jealous because I am the better trainer!" Ash replied as a cocky smile appeared on his lips resulting in Misty laughing in a very exaggerated manner. "We both know that I'm a better trainer that you Ash Ketchum!" The orange haired girl yelled.

"Yeah that's why I mopped the floor with you earlier!" Ash smirked resulting Misty's body to shake in anger, this action would have scared the auburn eyed trainer out of his mind but no longer would he let his friend frighten him.

"That was just a fluke! My Pokemon were just tired from their training before you showed up!" Misty argued. "Plus I'm a Gym Leader and last I checked you don't have a title like that! I also beat the first Pokemon League I participated in!" She added making Serena cringe knowing that those words would hurt their friend from Pallet Town dearly.

"So what? I beat the Battle Frontier and I can join it any time I want and have my own frontier anywhere I want!" Ash shouted back causing Misty to clench her fists out of frustration. "Yeah but which one?" She screamed angrily causing Ash's eyes to widen. She had said which one, did that mean that there was another Battle Frontier?

"What do you mean by which-"

"Guys can you two stop please!" Serena shouted at the two Kanto natives causing both to freeze. It was not often that Serena would raise her voice to somebody but whenever she did you would know that something was troubling her. The two trainers turned around to find a whimpering Serena standing up. When she realized her outburst and that her two friends were looking at her she blushed. "Gosh you two act like such children!" She exclaimed before turning around and dashing out of the room leaving the Cerulean City Gym Leader and future Pokemon Master alone in pure and utter silence. Ash and Misty turned towards each other and sighed. They stood there silently until it was ended by Ash.

"Well…that just happened" Ash said awkwardly before nervously scratching his cheek. Misty found herself unable to reply and simply just nodded her head until she found her inner voice and spoke up. "That was all your fault you know" Misty mumbled staring daggers at her friend causing him to cringe. He was about to retort and claim that it was not his fault but deep down he knew she was right. He and Misty as if they were siblings arguing over something stupid like a candy bar. He found himself unable to speak but turned towards Misty and gave her a knowing look. She sighed before saying "I guess I played a part in that as well"

"So we are both at fault…" Ash groaned before running his hands through his hair. He knew he had to apologize but he was afraid of what Serena would say. Would she forgive him or would she…would she break up with him? He was snapped out of his thoughts by the orange haired girl who was somehow able to read his thoughts and decided to give him some advice.

"Ash you know she would never do that right?" She asked only for the raven haired boy to not respond or even give a nod to at least show that he had acknowledge her. "I know this seems scary Ash, you have never been in a serious relationship with a girl before so it is perfectly understandable that you are afraid. You haven't ever had experience with a situation like this and the best thing you can do right now is apologize to her" She said softly as she placed a hand on his shoulder. She stared at her friend who had the visor of his cap covering his eyes which usually meant he was crying. Without a word, he shrugged Misty's hand off of his shoulder and walked out of the room to go and look for his girlfriend and apologize. When he walked through the electronic doors and found himself outside of the gym he sighed.

_Serena…_

* * *

Serena found herself running down the streets of Cerulean City with tears in her eyes but not out of sadness, no her tears were out of frustration and regret. She had yelled at both her boyfriend and his orange haired companion out of sheer anger and upon realization of this she felt only one thing.

_Guilt_

However this negative emotion did not stall her aimless running with no set destination in mind. She just ran. She wanted to run away form the fighting, from the city, and from him. Serena had never fathomed that she would actually want to get away from THE Ash Ketchum but for some weird reason she did. It was however out of disappointment or anger she held towards the boy but she ran from him because of what she had done. Thoughts of what Red had said to her few days prior to now still haunted her.

_You don't deserve Ash Ketchum_

"And you never will" Serena whispered finishing the awful sentence that had been spoken to her. She slowly stopped running and found herself overlooking a beautiful river as she stood on top of a golden bridge made of pure gold nuggets, hence the name "Nugget Bridge" since that was the official title of the bridge made from the melted golden nuggets. She sighed sadly before resting her head in her arms while they laid along the rail of the bridge. She pulled her head away from her arms and began to slowly stare at her reflection in the water. She watched as the gentle current slowly went by and her reflection became slightly disoriented.

"Red was right" Serena sniffed before tightly shutting her beautiful blue eyes as tears slowly began to run down her cheeks. She really didn't deserve him, after what she had done to him. After breaking his heart for a dreadful time period of four years; it was unintentional yes but she felt that it didn't matter. She opened her eyes only to be met once more with her reflection that was only disoriented by the tears that slowly dripped off of her cheeks and fell to the water. Was she overreacting? Was she just overthinking her actions? She didn't know but what she did know was that she had yelled at two people she considered to be friends.

"I just…I just hate fighting" She whispered softly as she reflected on the reason behind her actions. She came to the realization that yes she was overreacting but in her defense she mentally took note that this was the first time she had ever been in a romantic relationship with anybody, much less the one she considered to be her Prince Charming. "How could I have been so stupid?" She asked herself rhetorically only to be met a voice that she had not known had been listening to her entire spiel. She turned around and looked at the strange man she had never met before. The boy looked to be at least a year or two older than her and he had black hair along with a pair of dark blue eyes. He donned a black jacket with a blue tank top underneath. His hands were covered by the fingerless black gloves that they wore and he had black boots as well. He had on a pair of black jeans and around his neck was what could possibly be a scarf but it had a light blue tint that for some odd reason reminded her of a flame. He also had a bracelet around his wrist that for some odd reason looked very familiar…

"And who are you?" Serena asked timidly feeling her heart begin to beat out of her chest for a reason she was unsure of. The boy simply smiled before saying "My name is Alan, and yours is what may I ask?" The boy replied curiously.

"Oh m-my name is Serena" She stuttered while giving her answer as she felt her cheeks heat up. What was going on with her? Why was she acting so strangely around this newcomer? She turned her head away from Alan in a pitiful attempt to hide her feelings and stared back at the river only for her plan to fail miserably as expected. Alan walked over to her and stood by her side and mimicked her actions as the two of them stared at the water. A moment of silence passed before he asked "What seems to be troubling you?"

"It's..none of your concern" Serena mumbled leaving both in an awkward silence. Alan stared at not only his own reflection but at Serena's as well to which the Kalos Queen mimicked his actions. "It's just…" Serena said softly deciding it would be be best to come clean. "My two friends got in an argument and I can't stand people, especially friends, fighting with one another"

"So you fled from them because of their quarrel?" The black haired boy asked curiously. Serena shook her head giving notion that she was denying his claim. "No…I yelled at them" She whispered sadly before her lip began to quiver. "I yelled at them and then I ran off!" She said loudly before finding herself in the arms of another boy. She slowly returned the gesture while she felt her cheeks darken. What was she doing? She was dating the love of her life! Why was she hugging a stranger like this? She removed herself from Alan's arms before looking at her feet. She muster all the courage she had before managing to squeak out "T-Thanks, I really needed that"

"No problem" Alan smirked before nervously scratching his cheek and this made Serena's heart stop. Ash did the same exact thing whenever he was nervous! What was happening to her? The two stared awkwardly at each other before Alan asked a question that utterly blew her mind.

"So do you have a um…You know…" He said nervously before finishing his question. "A boyfriend?" This question made her cheeks flare up and made her blood rush. "Remember those friends I mentioned fighting?" She asked to which Alan nodded his head. "He was…one of them" She finished sadly as warning signs went off in her head. What in Arceus' name was she doing?!

"O-Oh…" Alan mumbled before rubbing the back of his head nervously. "Well I um…I should leave you be for now so you can you know…gather your thoughts" He said in attempt of making an excuse to leave which yes was pitiful but accurate. He turned around and reached into his pocket only to release a large red dragon in which he hopped onto its back before taking off into the skies. She watched him as he slowly faded away into the distance before unknowingly moving one of her hands over her heart. Who was that boy and why was she feeling so odd? She then returned to her previous action and began to once again stare at her reflection. What she didn't know is that a certain someone had listened to the entire encounter. At the beginning of the bridge stood a familiar raven haired boy who was clenching his fists. He had seen everything and he did not like it one bit. He could feel his life long friend poke him to try and quell the Pallet Town native's feelings.

"Pikachu I-I'm fine" Ash mumbled feeling four emotions all at once. Anger, jealousy , betrayal and…fear. The two had only been a couple for a matter of days and already the two had already done something to hurt one another. He took a deep breath and decided to shove the encounter to the back of his mind as he began to approach his girlfriend. He walked right up to her and stood next to her only for her to not even notice his presence for she was lost in her own thoughts. "Serena…?" Ash asked nervously as he watched the Kalos Queen jump and turn towards her boyfriend not knowing he had approached her.

"Oh…Hey Ash" Serena said softly before turning her attention to the floor which had become suddenly appealing to her. She honestly didn't know how she felt right now, she felt so confused by her previous encounter with this Alan boy and with Ash showing up she had no clue on how to act.

"I…I want to talk about what happened earlier" Ash said monotonically which had caught his childhood friends attention. She looked him in the eyes before asking shyly "What about it?"

"I…I wanted to apologize" Ash said to her. "You were right Serena, we were-no I was acting like a child. You had every right to yell and say those things you said. Don't feel bad because the one who should feel bad and who…does feel bad is me" He whispered softly. His lip began to quiver as a lone tear ran down his cheek. The tears were not due to the remorse he felt for the fight but to the absolute fear of what had just happened because no matter what way he looked at it thee counter between her and that boy seemed to be very intimate. "It's all my fault!" Ash exclaimed as he pulled the visor of his cap over his eyes. "I'm so sorry Serena, what have I done?" He whispered sadly before feeling a a gentle touch graze his cheek and wipe away his tears. He felt his cap being taken off as a pair of hands ran through his hair. He then wrapped his arms around the Serena's waist as she placed her head against his chest. "I'm so sorry" He whispered sadly.

"It's ok Ash, we were both at fault" Serena replied with a smile on her face before looking into the auburn eyes of her boyfriend. She slowly inched her lips towards his own only to feel Ash's arms free themselves from her waist. She removed her arms from Ash's wild hair and with a look of concern plastered upon her ace she asked "What's wrong?"

"Who…Who was that boy?" Ash asked nonchalantly resulting in Serena to take a step back in shock. "Y-You saw that?" She asked anxiously to which he nodded his head. Serena put her face in her hands before muttering "I don't know he just kind of showed up" She said giving him an answer but the look on his face told her that he didn't exactly believe her. She was about to tell him that she was sorry but Ash beat her to it.

"Promise me Serena that you love me" Ash said sternly resulting in the Kalos Queen to give him a puzzling look. "Just…Promise me you do" He said again as his tone shifted to a more monotonically one.

"P-Promise you?" Serena asked rhetorically. "Oh course I do Ash! I love you to pieces!" She cried out as she was about to give him a hug only for Ash to stop her. "Promise?" He asked in a hushed tone to which she shook her head with a smile on her face. "I promise" Serena replied as she finally wrapped her arms around the future Pokemon Master's neck and much to her delight Ash finally returned the gesture by wrapping his hands around her waist. She placed her head in the crook of his neck before whispering "I love you so much"

"I love you too Serena" Ash replied with a smile. Serena removed her head from the crook of her beloveds neck and the two began to stare into each other's eyes. They slowly leaned forwards as their eyes grew heavy and shut upon contact of their lips. Both slowly opened their mouths enjoying each others breath which tickled them both internally. Getting caught up in the heat of the moment Serena found herself removing her hands from Ash's neck and began to run them through Ash's jet black hair with the occasional grabbing of some locks as well thus not only deepening the kiss but picking up the pace at the same time. Both lips which once moved in a synchronized motion now began to wildly attack each other. Serena felt her legs weaken and an intense heat building up in her body and resisted the urge to moan as she felt Ash's tongue begin to explore the crevices of her mouth to which she returned the action mimicking it as well. The two finally separated after a minute or so as they both graciously allowed the sweet sensation of air to enter their throats. The two stared at each other wide eyed and cheeks ablaze.

"T-That was unexpected" Serena stuttered in a very embarrassed matter to which Ash nodded his head finding himself unable to speak. The best thing he could do was offer her his hand to which she gratefully accepted it. With that the couple walked off into the sunset and returned to the Cerulean City Gym.

* * *

**Well I hope everybody liked the chapter! Now before I go anywhere I want to say that my choice of using Sir. Aaron seemed good. Unlike the stories I've read that involve this character my use of him actually makes sense! Introducing him through being revived in a mysterious way actually makes more sense than him magically appearing! Now as to Alan…for those who do not know, Alan is the main protagonist in the Pokemon Special "The Strongest Mega" Now I originally planned on involving him but I'm not sure I will take that approach…let's just say I don't want the relationship between Ash and Serena to change like their relationship in story a really good author is writing…the two date other people and I can't say that sits well I mean we have to wait four arcs for them to actually get together! That's torture man! FYI I'm not bashing the author who shall remain nameless due to the fact that I respect him (pretty sure it's a he) a lot :D So as to if my origional plan will work out the way I planned it…don't think it's gonna happen anymore. That means Serena won't break up with Ash to go out with Alan though that was not even how it would happen. Now I planned on ending this chappy in a way that foreshadowed well..pretty much explained what Ash and Co would be doing next but I'm just going to wait till the next one. If you look closely you may figure out what it is ;) Alos I'm trying to work on the kissing stuff, I took a look at a few stories and tried to make one similar to the three I checked out and again this isn't eaxactly an area I'm exceptionally well at in terms of writing. Now one final thing: takes deep breath HOLY FUCK IT HAPPENED! THERE IS A GOD OH MY GOD I GOT THE PATIENCE AND TIME!**

**R&amp;R guys :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey guys it me again and welcome back for yet another chapter of Strength of Ones Heart! Now I want to address the kiss scene, that was by far the most intimate thing I ever wrote and I based that off of many T-Rated fics. When someone said it was borderline M-Rated it just kinda bugged me. When I think "Rated M Fanfiction Story" I imagine people doing…things to the inapropro things people write and personally I don't want people to being doing…that…to something I wrote. If people want me to I will edit the kiss. Anyways how has everybody been? Me well I've been doing ok I guess, school is wrapping up and I can't wait to go work with those little kids during summer break! They are so cute ^_^ Enjoy Guys!**

**Daily Quote: "You tell them it makes a big difference Bitters, because I am orange! I am not gold! I am not yellow! I am fucking orange!" Dexter Grif Red vs Blue**

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_The morning sun peaked over the horizon as Lucario ran throughout a lush forest. It was beautiful, untouched by mankind. Some tree roots stuck out of the ground as Lucario vaulted over them. He ran down a path as the soft grass occasionally grazed his feet and occasionally stepped on a flower or two but both of these were something to which Lucario payed no mind to. He ignored the greenery around him, he ignored the four Hoothoots sitting on the tree branches sleeping, he ignored the cute pair of Nidorans both male and female, he ignored the Combee which had been pollinating the flowers, he even ignored where on earth he was rushing to so hastily. Only one thing was on his mind being Sir Aaron. _

_"Why Master...why do you have to do this?" Lucario asked himself as he tightly shut his eyes fearful of tears leaking from them. His ears suddenly stuck out and began to glow as he ran through the forest with his eyes shut being guided only by the power of aura. He was deeply bothered by the previous conversation he had with the legendary Aura Guardian. Never before had he seen his friend speak to him with such a heavy heart; he had lost his master once before and he was going to lose him again and he was absolutely powerless to stop it. The path Lucario had taken was about to end as he could see what was the exit of the forest and the closer he got a light began to shine brighter and brighter until it engulfed him. He felt the light surround him let the warm light blanket him until the light faded and he found himself in a grassy plain with the moon shining down upon him. In the distance he could see what he had been searching for: Sir Aaron._

_"Sir Aaron!" Lucario yelled as he ran over to the raven haired aura guardian. The raven haired boy turned around and saw his life long friend on his knees gasping for air. He smiled as he rubbed Lucario on the head before laying down in the grass. From his point of view it was as if the grass were like walls though this was due to the fact he was resting flat on the ground. He waited for the jackal-like Pokemon to catch his breath before taking a seat next to him. The two stared into the sky silently, both of them simply enjoying the others company. _

_"It's a beautiful night?" Sir Aaron asked his friend. Lucario was unwilling to even turn his head to face his master and gritted his teeth out of pure frustration. "Too bad we won't be having many more of these" He snapped resulting in a sigh of disapproval from his master. _

_"What is troubling you Lucario?" Sir Aaron asked but he received no answer from Lucario, just an angry stare. Sir Aaron smiled sadly before moving a hand to Lucario's shoulder and gave his friend a soft smile. "I know this must be hard Lucario but…" He said before finding himself unable to finish his sentence. _

_"But what?" Lucario asked angrily._

_"I know this must be hard for you Lucario but I need to do this. No matter what you believe it simply cannot be done by just the two of us. My time is almost up Lucario…would you rather sulk or enjoy what little time we have left as a family?" Sir Aaron asked kindly but did not receive an answer from Lucario however the look in the fighting type Pokemon spoke the words he himself was unable to. "Lucario…may I ask you something?" He asked sadly. _

_"What" Lucario said bitterly causing Sir Aaron to frown. He knew this question was going to become very personal but it may be the only way to get through to his friend. _

_"Lucario I am going to die" He said monotonically causing Lucario eyes to open and for the jackal Pokemon to pull himself up into a sitting position. He turned his head to face his master's and was surprised to see tears flowing down the aura guardians cheeks. _

_"Lucario I am going to…to die" Sir Aaron managed to choke out. "I was reborn for only one purpose; to ensure that the world we live…well the world we lived in is safe. D-Do you want my sacrifice to be in vain or do you want it to actually mean something?" He asked as he felt his apprentice wrap his arms around him and the duo began to cry together. "I'm so sorry Lucario, I've failed you!" He cried out._

_"Don't say that master!" Lucario sobbed. Sir Aaron cried with his partner both finally had come to terms with reality. Sir Aaron was going to die and it was up to Lucario to train the next aura guardian. In the back of his mind Sir Aaron thought to himself 'Do not let me down…Ash Ketchum' Unbeknown to either one of them that around the world was two people who were laying in a field just as they were._

* * *

"Hey Ash?" Serena asked her boyfriend who laid next to her in the grassy field. Her arm was wrapped around his and she rested her head against his shoulder as the young couple stared contently into the star filled sky.

"What is it?" Ash asked curiously as he shifted his gaze to the Kalos Queen's beautiful blue eyes.

"Doesn't this remind you of that night back during the Kalos League? You know the one before you...yeah" Serena asked cutely before her voice trailed off towards the end of her question feeling that she had made it awkward between the two but luckily this was not the case.

"Oh you mean the night I met Ralts?" Ash asked causing Serena to give him a quizzical look. "I never knew you met Ralts that day Ash" Serena stated with a sad smile after receiving a nod from the raven haired boy. "It was right before you showed up" Ash said as he felt Serena's body tense up momentarily before the tension disappeared. He them remembered that Serena had not just brought this up randomly; she had asked him a question.

"Why do you ask?"

"It's just…it's just like back then. You and me sitting under the stars just enjoy each other's presence. I remember you held my hand like this" Serena said cutely before she allowed her free hand to slip into Ash's. "I remember my heart was beating out of my chest just like it is now. I remember all the fantasies I had dreamed up during our journey together. I remember the laughs we shared; the victories we celebrated, the losses we suffered, the tears we shed, the nights that I slept just dreaming about having moments like these with you" She said softly.

"Except these aren't dreams Serena; this is real" Ash replied and tightened his grip on Serena's hand. The two silently stared back at the stars as both contemplated on whether to stay silent and enjoy each other's presence or just converse with one another. Though both wanted to just enjoy the silence Ash's mind began to come up with many questions about what Serena had mentioned. What kind of dreams did she have? We're they always good dreams or were there occasional nightmares? He was snapped out of his thoughts when he felt a pair of lips come in contact with his cheeks briefly before pulling away.

"Is everything ok Ash?" Serena asked causing Ash to chuckle. "Yeah I am but I was just wondering…nah it's nothing" He said playfully causing Serena to throw him a questioning glance.

"Wondering what?" She asked feeling curious to the motive behind Ash's playful manner. He turned to her and with a smirk asked "So what exactly happened in those dreams of yours?" Serena's eyes widened as her cheeks almost instantaneously flared up. She turned her head away and it was a mere stutter she managed to squeal out "N-Nothing!"

"Well it must have been something to make you act this way all the sudden" Ash chuckled until he felt Serena pull her arm away from his causing the rave haired boy to frown. Had he gone to far? Was him teasing her with these questions too much for her? He was about to apologize but before he could even manage to get the words out of his mouth a naughty look from Serena made him freeze in his tracks. She slowly pulled Ash so that he was resting on his side just like she was now. She gave him a coy smile when she saw his cheeks slowly darken causing her to internally smirk. She looked him in the eyes before whispering "Do you really want to know what happens in my dreams Ash?"

"U-Uh s-s-sure?" Ash stammered nervously causing Serena to give him a soft giggle. A devious smirk made way to her face before she scooted closer to Ash and whispered "Well first you would have your arms around me like this" She took hold of his arms before slowly wrapping them around her own waist before withdrawing her hold on the arms of the Pokemon Master to-be. She then whispered "Then I would out my hands on your cheeks like this" Ash's face was now a shade of red that had not been seen by herself or anyone else for that matter as she softly placed her hands on her cheeks. "Do you want to know what happens next?" She teased.

"Y-y-yes" Ash stammered causing Serena to giggle. "Well I would slowly lean in like this" She whispered as she slowly moved her lips towards Ash's and when they were only centimeters apart she said what started off in a soft tone but ended in a louder one. "And then I would…wake up!" She exclaimed before removing her hands from Ash's cheeks and pulled herself out of his arms and was delighted when she heard a groan from her boyfriend. She began to laugh hysterically as Ash tried to hide his face in his hands.

"You should have seen the look on your face! It was priceless!" Serena hollered as eventually Ash joined in on her laughter. The couple sat there laughing at was a silly prank until they had calmed down. The two returned to their earlier pose with Serena's head on Ash's shoulder and her arm wrapped around his own. The two were breathing heavily from their previous laughter but Ash asked her "But really though, what did you dream about?"

"What I just told you" Serena replied with a wink. "The dreams never finished because somebody woke me up before things happened" She added making Ash nervously scratch his chin and he muttered "Sorry about that" He was about to change the subject but Serena made his mind switch gears back to the one they were having now.

"Now that you mention it though…never mind" Serena said playfully just as her boyfriend had said before. Ash looked at her curiously before Serena said with a wide smirk "There was a few times where the dreams did finish"

"There were? Well why don't you show me how they ended then?" Ash asked with a smirk of his own. "Well why don't I?" She teased before she slowly out her hands on Ash's cheeks and pulled his face down to meet her own as their lips met and the rest of the world faded around them.

* * *

_Location change: Shamouti Island_

_Disturb not the harmony of fire, ice or lightning, lest these Titans wreak destruction upon the world in which they clash. Through the waters the great guardian shall arise to quell the fighting, alone its song will fail, and thus the world shall turn to ash. O chosen one, into thine hands bring together all three, their treasures combined tame the beast of the sea_.

A prophecy that had been inscribed into an ancient stone slab for an untold amount of time rested on the slab of land that was part of the chain of the islands in Orange Islands. The mainland being Shamouti Island was surrounded by three more islands. One being Fire Island, the second being Lightning Island, and lastly Ice Island. The trio of islands named after one of natures many elements was home to ironically the trio of legendary bird Pokemon. Moltres, the bird of the flickering flame resided on Fire Island; Zapdos, the bird that embodied thunder and lightning; and Articuno, the bird of the ferocious blizzard. Each guarded an invaluable treasure as stated by the prophecy located on each of the elemental islands. The treasure? A gem, well gems that maintained the balance of nature itself.

Years ago, a man named Lawrence III disturbed this balance. He was a collector of things yes but it was not simply cards or marbles he collected; he collected Pokemon and Pokemon-related artifacts. So what was Lawrence's prey? More like who was his prey? The answer was simple: the beast of the sea, Lugia respectably. He traveled in his large hovercraft and his first catch was the Titan of Fire, Moltres; in doing this he disrupted the balance of nature itself. He proceeded to capture the Titan of Lightning, Zapdos and attempted to obtain the Titan of Ice Articuno but his plans were foiled by the prophecy's foretold Chosen One. In the failed capture of Articuno he had accidentally awoken his prize, Lugia. The Chosen One gathered the three treasures and brought them to the legendary shrine to which one of the islands guardians played Lugia's song thus quelling the war between Zapdos, Moltres, Articuno, and Lugia respectively.

The collectors acts had been the cause behind the worlds climate collapse all because of his obsession with his prize which was ripped away form his bare hands. The battle had resulted in the destruction of his vessel and his collection destroyed but one item remained was his first item and his most treasured: the ancient Mew card. The man swore to start his collection again and since that day no one has heard from him since.

_But that was about to change_

* * *

The sun had long ago vanished and storm clouds had replaced the cheerful atmosphere. High above the surface flown an invisible vessel with not only a crew of illegal culprits but two targets with a high bounty on their heads. Brother and sister they were, the two shared blood after all. Inside the inner-most chamber of the ship they stood side by side. Both wore a black trench coat that covered their faces and majority of their bodies.

"I see you were successful in your capture once again sister" The man said.

"I am to please" The woman said in a sinister tone. She pulled down her hood thus revealing her short silver hair and devious smirk plastered upon her face. Her eyes were unable to be seen however, a high-tech visor covered her eyes with the ability to sense Pokémon teleportation. She turned to her brother and said "Why so formal brother? You are a client! You know what to refer to me as do you not?"

"Why of course…" The man said as he mimicked his sisters actions pulled down his hood. His dirty blonde hair fashioned in a way similar to how the legendary Pokemon Latios's and Latias's head. Around his neck was no longer his previous golden pendant but now a card safely inside of a sleeve protector. He turned to his sister and said "…Hunter J" A loud roar shook the ship slightly causing J to grind her teeth in frustration. "God these things never shut up now down they?" She said rhetorically as she walked over to a large cage that gave off an immense heat. Inside was the legendary dual typing fire and steel Pokemon, the only one of its kind. It's magma body was frozen in place as if it was stone and the only moving part was its head.

"Well seems like we have a rebellious one don't we?" She sneered as she went to place her hand on the legendary Heatran's head only for it to attempt to use fire fang.

"Careless are we sister?" The man teased resulting in J to turn around and give him a death stare. "Shut it big brother" J said as she lifted her arm revealing an odd circular device, a gun of sorts. "I should had done this hours ago" She mumbled as the gun began to give off a golden glow before a beam of light shot out of the barrel hitting Heatran in the face until it slowly turned to stone. She walked back over to her brother and said "Where's my payment?"

"It's in the vault as usual" The man snickered causing J to storm off but not before shouting back "Where is my next target?"

"You mean targets, plural sister" The man retorted causing J to turn around. "I want triple the pay for both" She said coldly to which the man nodded.

"Set course J for Alo Mare" The brother said.

_Your next two targets are the eon dragons..._

_Latios and Latias_

* * *

**So guys what do you think? Been awhile since either of these characters have been in any fanfiction right? Sorry if this chapter seems a bit shorter than usual but school has been getting hectic with everything starting to wrap up. Let's see who can guess who Hunter J's brother is (in case it wasn't plainly obvious…) What do you guys think is going to happen? Let me know in the comments below! Do note this only applies to mobile viewers for the arrow**

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	15. Chapter 15

_**H**_**ey guys it's your boy OG NEXXUS! Nah I'm not an original gangster or even a gangster in general haha. So I'm glad everybody enjoyed my lil plot twist and it seems that the two eon dragons may be in danger! Will Ash save them? Probably not since he isn't going to Johto haha but hey maybe he finds a way or not I haven't exactly decided yet but dang a lot of people enjoyed the mystery brother of Hunter J! Let's face it though it's pretty obvious who it is but I'm not going to spoil it ^_^ In other news the new expansion pack for Destiny came out called "The house of wolves" and it is so cool! The only thing that isn't is well…basically there is round based fight against the enemy A.I called "The Prison of Elders" and when you beat it you go to this treasure room with a giant chest and you can get good gear from it but you need a treasure key but luckily I had one. So I shared the DLC with a friend of mine and he didn't have any exotic armor or gear (best stuff in the game) so we beat it and we open the chest and I get another Patience and Time to which I still freaked out about but my friends first fucking exotic he ever got was the Galahjorn exotic rocket launcher AKA the best gun in the game that tears through bosses and what not. I was a little jelly at first but it's ironic that me and my group of friends call it the "Jelly Horn" but I know none of you care cause you're tuning in for one thing and one thing only: A new chappy. Jeez I'm starting to think you guys are using me XD Oh one last thing, big shout out to " Mighteanas Shadow" who just finished his first Amourshipping fanfic "Battles of the Past!" It's a great read and I HIGHLY recommend it. Props bro; you did good :)**

**ENJOY OR PERISH!**

**Daily Quote: "Prepare your backside for friendship you shadowy, shovel-wielding, shameless, sick, sinister, son of a Siamese salamander" Freddy Fazbear, Fazbear &amp; Friends (YouTube video it's funny) Did you guys know there making a movie about Fnaf? Kinda taking it a bit too far Scott…why a movie man why?**

* * *

We find favorite heroes in Pewter City as they plan on making one last "pit stop" before returning to Pallet Town. Misty had decided to tag along with the new couple and the trio had decided that their "pit stop" would be none other than at the home of the Pewter City Gym Leader Forrest Harrison, though they planned not on giving Forrest or any of his siblings any special attention there was one that they had cheekily made an exception for one of the siblings however. "Misty!" Ash hollered as he approaches his friend who whipped her head around momentarily frightened that the tranquility had been broken by the raven haired boy.

"Hey look guys! It's Pewter City!" Ash hollered as he enthusiastically turned around and saw the two girls standing side by side while they walked at the same pace. Though Serena gave the boy with the Pikachu perched on his shoulder an odd look the orange haired girl Misty shared the excitement that one of her closest friends did.

"I can't wait to see him again! It's been how long now since we have traveled together again?" Misty asked.

"Six years, maybe five?" Ash replied though he was unsure as well. Serena simply shook her head at the two before saying "Regardless that is still a long time"

"So then let's stop wasting time; let's go!" Ash cheered before turning around and breaking out into a full out sprint.

"Hey Ketchum, wait up!" Misty yelled before dashing off like her raven haired friend had moments ago and Serena blinked before she found herself staring no longer at the two friends running off into this distance but the dust they had kicked up instead. She sighed and shook her head at the two who had seemingly vanished and a smile formed on her face. She began to chase after and began to reminisce on all the things that Ash had told her about all of his friends and rivals during their journey together in Kalos…

* * *

_"Hey Ash? What's that?" Bonnie asked the raven haired boy. They all stood on a dock along with many other people that were also participating in a fishing contest in Ambrette Town. Serena and Clemmont both heard Bonnie's remark and turned their attention to their friend that from whom's home was in Pallet Town. In his hands he held a lure of the likes that none of them had ever seen before, it actually looked like it was a person, a girl to be precise._

_"That's a very…odd lure you got there Ash" Serena said nervously. Where did he get this lure? Was it a gift? If it was then who had given it to him?_

_"Oh this? This is a lure I got from a really good friend of mine. Her name is Misty; she is the gym Leader of Cerulean City" Ash said with a smile on his face. He gripped his fishing pole tightly and with a deep breath he hurled the line out into the water. He tilted the cap over his eyes and said "We traveled together for a very long time and though we parted on good terms it was…an unwilling separation"_

_"H-H-How come?" Serena asked her crush anxiously as she felt her heart beating out of her chest._

_"It's kind of complicated…" Ash said as his voice trailed off but before Serena could ask him more questions a certain little blonde haired girl butted in. "We have the time Ash, why don't you tell us about your girlfriend?" She asked innocently causing not only Serena's eyes to widen and take a step back but for Ash to spin his head around so fast that his hat fell off and his friends could see how red his cheeks were._

_"G-G-Girlfriend?!" Ash exclaimed. "No, no, no no no no! It's not like that at all!" He said as sweat began to trickle down the sides of his face._

_"Then…then how is it Ash?" Serena asked softly with a depressing frown on her face that went unnoticed by her friends except for a very perceptive little matchmaker in the form of the Lumiose City's Gym Leaders younger sister._

_"You see…" Ash said awkwardly to which Pikachu mimicked his behavior by shyly moving one of his feet awkwardly against the wooden boards of the dock. "It all dates back to my 10th birthday, the day I became a Pokemon Trainer. When I met Pikachu he didn't exactly like me and one thing led to another and he used his thundershock attack on a wild Spearow and its flock began to chase us. Pikachu was attacked by the Spearow and I took him into my arms before we fell off a waterfall…"_

_"Sounds like quite the encounter" Clemmont said with an unreadable facial expression. Ash simply nodded his head before continuing his story._

_"So Misty was fishing for water type Pokemon because her goal is to become the worlds greatest water type Pokemon Trainer. When we fell we kind of tripped her line and I guess you could say she caught us" He said as he scratched his cheek nervously._

_'Yeah...your heart' Serena thought to herself sadly._

_"Then what happened?" Bonnie asked curiously._

_"Pikachu was really hurt and we kind of…stole her bike and it eventually got destroyed" Ash said in a casual tone. "So she used it as an excuse to travel with me saying that she wouldn't leave me alone until I paid her back for her bike but all in all it she was just bluffing. We eventually became good friends and traveled through the Kanto and Johto Regions as well as the Orange Archipelago. When we returned home to Kanto we ended up in Viridan City and Nurse Joy had a surprise for her; it was a brand new bike!" His face fell momentarily before continuing._

_"The way I saw it was that now she didn't have a reason to travel with me but she wanted to continue and we agreed on that but…her sisters called. They were going on some tour thing because they're models and they needed Misty to run the gym. So she gave me this to remember her by, her infamous Misty Lure" He smiled softly before staring off into the ocean. "She would have liked it here; sitting by the ocean fishing…it was something she enjoyed a lot…I haven't seen her in years…maybe I should check on her sometime and let her know how I'm doing" Ash said before he stood up._

_"You know guys…I have a feeling that this journey is going to be different from the rest" Ash declared._

_"How come?" Clemmont asked causing Ash to very briefly turn around and look at Serena as a he felt a weird feeling in his chest. It was warm and it made him feel good but he didn't know what it was. He turned his head around and stared off into the distance before saying "I just do"_

_()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()_

_"And that should do it" Ash said proudly as he finished wrapping a bandage around Serena's leg. The two of them had been separated from the siblings from Lumiose City by a forest fire while they were on route to Sunshine Town for Serena's next showcase. Ash just couldn't shake the feeling that there was something odd about the incident; it was just so random! Maybe someone forgot to put out their campfire or a fire type Pokemon got angry or maybe even a group of criminals may have started it…_

_"Ash are you ok?" Serena asked with a concerned tone effectively snapping the raven haired boy out of his thoughts. He looked down at her gave her a soft smile. "Yeah Serena I'm fine…but you shouldn't be asking me" He mumbled._

_"I told you Ash it isn't that big of a deal" Serena said putting on a brave face making Ash look towards her bandaged leg and grimaced at what had caused it. A tree. A tree that had been set ablaze had fallen on its side and one of the branches ended up whacking Serena's leg and she fell over. She was lucky the injury wasn't severe, she had a terrible burn mark on her knee cap and had a large cut on her thighs._

_"It's my fault Serena" Ash apologized only to feel her soft hands cup his cheeks as she pulled herself up into a sitting position. "Ash you don't need to blame yourself, you did nothing wrong!" She whispered into his ear causing Ash to pull her into a hug and whisper "Thank you"_

_The two sat in silence enjoying each other's embrace until Serena felt Ash pull away much to her dismay; her disappointment however changed rather quickly to confusion and curiosity as Ash said the words "Man I am really lucky"_

_"Why is that Ash?" Serena asked inquisitively._

_"Had it not been for a good friend of mine I wouldn't have been able to patch you up so well" Ash said as a smile formed own his face as he stared into the sky. "His name was Brock Harrison and he is one of my closest friends that I can think of; he's traveled with me longer than any of my other companions have. He used to be the Pewter City Gym Leader but ended up traveling with me and that girl I told you about" He said happily._

_"Misty?" Serena asked._

_"That's the one" Ash chuckled before turning around and zipping open his bag. After a moment of rummaging around he pulled out a book._

_"A-Ash is that a book?!" Serena gasped._

_"Hey! I read stuff sometimes!" He retorted resulting in the duo to chuckle lightly. "But it's not exactly a book, it's a photo album" He said before opening it up and flipping through page after page of photographs. Serena was surprised by not only how neat and organized the album was but also because of the immensely large collection of pictures that were inside._

_"You…sure do have a lot of photos" Serena said shyly as she could briefly make out images of girls as he quickly scanned each page. Ash, though he didn't look up from the album, acknowledged her by saying "Each one tells a different story" He said with a smile. "No two of these pictures are the same. See this one?" He said as he pointed to one of the photos. Upon further inspection Serena could make out that it must have been taken back in Pallet Town at Professor Oak's lab. She could see the her raven haired crush in the center with the orange haired girl Misty with one arm wrapped around his shoulder and the dark skinned boy had placed a hand on Ash's shoulder. The boy seemed to be a lot older than Ash and Misty but she brushed it off before looking at all of Ash's Pokemon. She could see a Charizard, a Squirtle, a Bulbasaur, a Muk, a Kingler, and an entire heard of Tauros off in the distance though one stood nearby. It wouldn't have been a real picture though if it didn't have the infamous yellow mouse sitting on top of Ash's head with the boys cap placed on his head giving a peace sign._

_"Are these all of your Pokemon Ash?" Serena asked curiously causing Ash to smile._

_"No…no they are not. This picture was taken after I participated in the Indigo League" He replied as his smile only grew as a lone tear slid down his face._

_"Wasn't that your first League too?" She asked to which Ash nodded his head._

_"It was just so long ago you know? Back then everything was so new and exciting and they are like family" Ash managed to choke out. "I wouldn't be here if it weren't for these guys" He said with his quivering lips before pointing to the dark skinned boy. "That's Brock, he wants to be the worlds best Pokemon Breeder and right now he is trying to become a Pokemon Doctor; if anybody could become a doctor he would be in no exception. He taught me everything I know about Pokemon and he also taught me about cooking and medicine. So in a way I guess you should be thanking him instead of me"_

_"How come?" Serena asked._

_"Because if it wasn't for Brock I wouldn't have been able to do it" Ash said with a happy smile._

_()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()_

_"Hey Serena" Ash said as he approached the honey haired girl. She was sitting on the docks that their group had been sitting on hours ago when participating in the fishing contest._

_"O-Oh Ash!" Serena stammered clearly not expecting the boy from Pallet Town to show up so unexpectedly. She quickly moved something under her leg making Ash wonder what she was being so shy about._

_"Is everything ok?" He asked the girl who had turned her face away from his hoping that he had not seen her pink tinted cheeks. "Y-Yeah why wouldn't they be?" She stuttered nervously._

_"Then why are you just holding a pencil? Seems kind of random that you're not writing anything" He smirked causing Serena to give an exasperated sigh._

_"I was just…drawing something" She said shyly as she reached under her leg and pulled out a notebook and showed him what she was drawing. "It's just a stupid doodle…nothing special" She said softly as her cheeks grew redder by the second however Ash's jaw had long ago dropped to the floor._

_"Serena this-this is amazing!" Ash exclaimed as he stared at the picture. She had skillfully drawn the setting sun off in the far distance accompanied by the glimmering sea along. He stared in awe not knowing that his friend was capable of doing this._

_"N-No it's not..." Serena said shyly as she stared at the water below her feet. "It's…amateur" She mumbled causing Ash to frown as he placed a hand on her shoulder causing the honey haired girl to blush._

_"Amateur? Serena this is amazing!" Ash exclaimed before reaching into his bag and retrieving what looked to be a sketch pad. He began to flip through the pages until he found what he was looking for. He then passed the notebook to Serena and said "This is something I drew back in the Sinnoh Region, it's a Dewgong"_

_"Ash I never knew that you could draw" Serena said softly as she stared at the beautifully sketched Dewgong._

_"Well I guess I can but it's really thanks to an old friend of mine" Ash said with a smile on his face. "His name was Tracey Sketchit and he is a Pokemon Watcher" He said only for Serena to give him a questioning look._

_"A Pokemon Watcher? What is that?" She asked curiously._

_"A Pokemon Watcher is kind of like a bird watcher in a way. He draws and studies Pokemon and his pictures to him are memories of everything he has seen in his life. He traveled with Misty and I throughout the Orange Islands and he helped us out a lot. We traveled together until…" Ash said as a frown formed on his face._

_"Until what?" Serena asked cautiously upon seeing Ash's crest fallen face. Ash looked at her with a sad smile and said "His role model and idol was Professor Oak and after I won the Orange League-"_

_"You won a Pokemon League?!" Serena exclaimed out of pure shock only for Ash to give a light hearted chuckle. "Well I guess you could say that, but it wasn't an official Pokemon League. Anyways when we went back to Pallet Town he got to meet Professor Oak and…" He mumbled before continuing his thought. "We had planned on going to the Johto Region; Misty and Brock were going with me and we wanted Tracey to come but…he stayed behind with Professor Oak. Now he is fulfilling his dream and is Professor Oak's assistant, his right hand man, his apprentice. I see him now and again whenever I call the lab to exchange Pokemon and I usually see him whenever I go back home and don't get me wrong I'm really happy that Tracey got to fulfill his dream but I guess I was just kind of bummed" Ash said as he began to look up at the sky. He gently retrieved the sketch pad from Serena before beginning to flip through the pages once more before once again handing it back to the honey haired girl and what she saw left her stunned._

_It was a sketch of her raven haired hero fast asleep with his back leaning against his Charizard. His hat was missing revealing his messy hair and it could only be found on top of Pikachu's head. She found herself blushing due to the fact she had rarely seen Ash without his famous Pokemon League hat in._

_"You like it?" Ash asked snapping Serena out of her trance making herself blush and mentally scold herself for staring at the picture for so long. She turned her head back to Ash and said "Of course I do! It has the likes to be a professional drawing!"_

_"That was how good Tracey was at drawing back then; I can only imagine how much he has improved" Ash smiled. "Did I tell you that he gave me that sketch pad?" Ash asked to which Serena shook her head. "Well he did…" Ash said sadly. He found himself smiling again before turning to Serena and staring into her eyes and said "I think your drawings are better"_

_"R-really?" Serena stammered out of pure shock._

_"Yeah…" Ash said softly as he continued to stare into her eyes and began to feel that weird warm feeling in his chest again. What exactly was it? Was he sick or something? It felt good so it couldn't have been that, but what was it? Ash ripped his gaze away from Serena before staring at the sun for the final time and said "Tracey was right; drawings are a lot like memories…can you do me a favor Serena?" Ash asked her randomly this throwing her off guard._

_"What is it?" She asked inquisitively._

_"At some point during our journey can you draw me a picture? Drawing are just like what he said back then…they're memories…and I can't…think of anybody else that I want to share a really good memory with" Ash said while not only shocking Serena but himself as well. Since when had he ever thought or said something like that before? Something was defiantly wrong with him. Why of all people would he say those things to someone like Serena? His thoughts were interrupted by Serena who had given him her answer but he didn't catch what she said._

_"Sorry I kinda spaced out, can you say that again?" He asked._

_"I said that I…I would love to share a memory with you too" She said softly with a deepening blush._

_"Hey Ash you dropped something!" Bonnie said loudly causing her older friends to turn around and see what Bonnie was talking about. The little blonde haired girl ran up to Ash with Dedenne poking his little head out of Bonnie's satchel and placed in the palm of his hand a ribbon. They were currently on-route to Shalour City for Ash's next gym battle and they decided to take the scenic route through a beautiful forest even though it would take longer to get there._

_"I'm sorry Ash but I think it may have broken back when it fell out of your bag" Bonnie said sadly but felt the raven haired teen run his hand through her hair causing her to cringe; she hated when people touched her hair._

_"It was already like this before" Ash told the younger sister of the Lumiose Gym Leader. "Thank you though. It means a lot to me" He said gratefully._

_"But why is it split in half?" Bonnie asked curiously as Serena nodded her head in agreement. Clemmont decided to join in as well by asking "It seems quite odd that you are carrying around a broken ribbon with you; why not just throw it out?"_

_"I would never through this out!" Ash exclaimed causing his friends to take a step back surprised by his outburst. "Sorry about that" Ash apologized as he nervously scratched his cheek after realizing how unusual he had just acted. "You see the ribbon is supposed to be like this" He explained._

_"What happened to the other half?" Bonnie asked curiously._

_"A good friend of mine has it; before we parted ways we participated in a Pokemon Contest and we tied. So she had the idea of splitting it in half so now both of us have something to remember each other by" Ash explained with a smile on his face._

_"And who would this she be?" Serena asked with a tone that confused both Clemmont and Ash but Bonnie simply threw her a look of sympathy. 'Serena was so happy a minute ago…she almost sounds jealous' Ash thought to himself before looking at her oddly before saying "Her name is May Maple; I traveled with her and her little brother Max when I was in the Hoenn Region and eventually the Kanto Region though we traveled alone for about a week or two before Max tagged along-"_

_"You traveled with this girl…alone?" Serena asked shyly once again resulting in the boys giving her an odd stare._

_"Well yeah but not permanently it was just a week or two and eventually Brock tagged along as well" Serena gave a sigh of relief knowing now that Ash not traveled with this May girl alone…or at least for a prolonged amount of time._

_"To be honest, you two remind me of them a lot" Ash said looking at the two siblings from the largest city in the entire Kalos Region. This simple statement made Serena's heart shatter into a million pieces._

_'They…remind him of that girl? Does he…' Serena thought to herself until Clemmont asked "How so?"_

_"Well I'm traveling with you two and both of you guys are siblings like May and Max are, Bonnie seems to do something that odd that embarrasses you by…you know proposing to girls and what not; you see Brock had a tendency to…fall head over heels for any pretty girl he saw and Max would be the one to grab his ear and drag him away from the girl, Misty did the same thing" Ash chuckled to himself. "It's ironic because even one of Brock's own Pokemon would use poison jab on him whenever it happened!"_

_"This Brock guy seems to be quite the interesting fellow now doesn't he" Clemmont said before sweat dropping which caused Bonnie to giggle but Serena however gave Ash a knowing smile; she remembered the conversation she had with Ash when they were going to Sunshine Town._

_"Yeah he sure is" Ash chuckled. "Another thing that you two have in common with them is that May is the daughter of a gym leader named Norman…that was one of the hardest gym battles I've had to date" He said with a smile. "May was different…starting off she knew nothing about Pokemon, heck she didn't even like them at all! That all changed when she found out about Pokemon Contests"_

_"What are Pokemon Contests?' Clemmont asked curiously._

_"A Pokemon Contest is a three phase competition that rewards the winner with a ribbon. The first round is the appeal round, this is when the participant known as a Pokemon Coordinator uses their Pokemon to make beautiful combinations that show off not only the Pokemon and the Coordinator but the bond they share as well. The trainers that move onto the second round participate in the battle round; the battle round is when the coordinator uses either one or two Pokemon, depending on the rules, and compete against another coordinator. These five minute battles are different though, each trainer has a points counter and the coordinator with the most points after the five minutes is the winner and moves on or until one sides Pokemon are unable to battle. The way people lose points is if their attacks miss or fail and if they really aren't executed effectively. These battles continue until there are only two contestants left and they move on to the third and final round. The winner as said before receives a ribbon and when someone receives five ribbons they can compete in the Grand Festival which is held one a year. The winner of that becomes a Top Coordinator"_

_"A Top…Cooridinator?" Serena asked rhetorically._

_"It was her dream and it still is" Ash said with a smile._

_"Must be nice…having a dream" Serena whispered softly to herself._

_"Did she win?" Bonnie asked curiously to which Ash shook his head. "No she didn't. She lost her first Grand Festival and after the League we all went our separate ways but…" Ash replied as his voice trailed off._

_"But what? Don't leave us hanging Ash!" Serena snapped making Ash now to take a step back in shock with the blonde haired inventor. What had gotten into her?_

_"What's your problem Serena?" Ash asked with narrowed eye brows. He decided not to wait for her to give an answer and continue his story._

_"When I went back home to Pallet Town about a day later May and Max made an unexpected visit" Ash said as a grin formed on his face. "Turns out there was something called the Battle Frontier and there were contests in Kanto so me along with May, Max, and Brock went on another journey and I ended up defeating the Battle Frontier and the first person to ever earn all of the Frontier Symbols"_

_"So did May win the Grand Festival? Bonnie asked but Ash sighed and shook his head again. "No but she came very close, one of her rivals named Solidad beat her by a thread. Then the two of us participated in the Terracotta Pokemon Contest and we tying in the finals. We divided to share the ribbon so I had one of my Pokemon split the ribbon in half"_

_"You two sounded really close…" Serena said sadly. "Why aren't you two still traveling together?" She asked softly._

_"Well I was going back to Pallet but she decided to follow her rivals to the Johto Region…She said she wanted to see what she could do by herself but I'm pretty sure it was because Drew went there" Ash chucked making Serena look at him with a facial expression looking both confused and…hopeful?_

_"Drew was one of her rivals and he had the tendency to give her roses and lots of them. I'm pretty sure that she had a crush on him" Ash replied but was met only by three pairs of wide eyes. "Hey! I'm not that dense!" He exclaimed resulting in the trio to laugh at him. He sighed before turning around and continued to walk through the forest. He stared at the ribbon for a minute put it in his pocket but before doing this he said aloud "You will accomplish your dream someday May…just like I will"_

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_"What's this?" Bonnie asked as she pulled an odd Pokeball from Ash's backpack. The group was on their way to Dedemille Town and they all were wearing parkas due to the fact that it was snowing heavily. He walked over to the little girl before gently taking the Pokeball from her and placing it back in his backpack._

_"That's an Ultra Ball" Ash replied as Serena walked over to the two but decided not to engage the two and rather hide behind a tree and lIsten. It wasn't necessarily spying it was just being to nervous to go over and join in on the conversation._

_"Why haven't you used it yet?" Bonnie asked curiously. "With a name like that it must be better at catching Pokemon"_

_"It's because it's a gift from a friend" Ash replied. "Remember that boy I told you about?" He asked._

_"You mean Max?" Bonnie asked to which Ash nodded his head. "Yeah him" Ash replied softly. "Before we all parted ways for the final time he…went out and got me it and I promised him I would use it on a very special Pokemon"_

_"Sounds kind of lame" Bonnie retorted causing Ash to roll his eyes._

_"I don't think so" Ash replied. "You know…you remind me of Max Bonnie" Ash said and received a questioning glance from the little blonde girl. "You both really love Pokemon and you have one that isn't officially yours that you can take care of. You both also have great desires about becoming Pokemon trainers and let's not forget how stubborn both of you are"_

_"Hey! I am not!" Bonnie yelled resulting in childish laughter coming from Ash. Serena felt herself smile as she slowly walked away from the two and whispered "Something special…I wish my special someone would just realize that I'm theirs…"_

_()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()_

_"Ash? Are you ok?" Serena asked softly as she slipped her way through a crack in the door into the the dark room that he was residing in for the night at the Pokemon Center in Shoreford City. The gang was preparing for a Pokéathlon was going to take place and thought it would be a nice change of pace. When Serena was about to go to the room that she and Bonnie had decided to share the sound of sniffles flooded her ears and they came from the raven haired boys room._

_"Ash?" Serena asked again slightly louder until in the dim moonlight she could make out the silhouette of her crush. She approached the boy from her home town and placed her hand on his shoulder and said "What's wrong?"_

_"Go away!" Ash snapped angrily as he ripped his shoulder away from her hand after feeling her soft touch. When he heard the sound of footsteps he had hoped that Serena had decided to obey his wishes and go away but instead found her taking a seat next to him on the bed. She looked at him with deep concern in her eyes when she noticed Pikachu poking his leg. She bent down and took the yellow mouse into her arms before sitting back up and placing Pikachu in between Ash and herself._

_"You can't fool me Ash" Serena said calmly only for Ash to turn his head to the side as tears began to slide down his cheeks causing Serena to worry more than she had moments ago. It was very rare for her life long crush to cry and it was especially rare for him to treat any of his friends include herself in such a harsh way._

_"Ash…you're crying" Serena whispered as she gently placed her hands on the sides of his face and turned them towards her and felt her heart break as she stared into Ash's bloodshot eye as. "A-Ash?" Serena stammered._

_"It's….it's nothing" Ash mumbled causing Serena to frown and say to the raven haired trainer "It sure doesn't look like nothing; what is wrong?"_

_"It has nothing to do with you!" Ash exclaimed as he shot up from the bed and stared daggers at the Pokemon Performer. The force of Ash's jump had knocked her fedora off her head revealing her shortened hair. "You think it's easy huh?" Ash seethed. "You don't know what it's like Serena!"_

_"I don't know what you're talking about Ash!" Serena shouted though her tone was not harsh like his but Ash did not hear her. The auburn eyed trainer continued to yell and ramble at her a majority of random things that made no sense and she felt herself slowly inching away from her friend._

_"Ash you're scaring me!" Serena yelled only this time Ash heard her. He looked down and saw the wide eyed honey haired girl sitting on his bed with fear and confusion plastered upon her face. He turned to Pikachu who had been hiding behind her as if she was a shield though the yellow mouse knew what had caused his friend to act in such a horrid manner._

_"What have I done? I'm a…I'm a monster" Ash said before collapsing to his knees and began to sob onto the side of his bed shocking the inhabitants in the room. "Just-just go!" Ash managed to choke out between his choked sobs but felt a pair of arms wrap around his chest and felt something very soft rest on his back._

_"No. I won't go away Ash" Serena whispered with her eyes shut as she rested her head on Ash's back, a position she had envisioned herself in though only under better circumstances._

_"Just go Serena!" Ash shouted again only to feel his friend to tighten her grip on him before he gave in to her embrace and began to sob feverishly once more into the bedside. After a minute or so he felt Serena remove herself from the embrace and suddenly he felt cold. It was weird, moments ago he felt so warmed by the her touch but now that it wasn't there he felt cold and maybe…lonely? He felt the bed buckle slightly and knew what it was and decided to sit alongside his friend. A awkward moment of silence passed before Ash murmured "I'm…I'm sorry Serena for how I just acted"_

_"It's fine Ash, I knew that you weren't yourself when that was happening" Serena said soothingly as she took Ash's hand in her own resulting in a deep blush from both of them. That feeling had returned to Ash again; an odd warm and tingly sensation inside of his chest. What was it? And why was this feeling only present whenever he was around Serena?_

_"Can we just forget this happened?" Ash asked only to receive a comforting "No" from the girl who Ash unknowingly had been crushing on him._

_"I won't…I mean we won't forget this happened Ash. What is troubling you?" Serena asked calmly as she tightened her grip on Ash's hand. It took him a minute or two before he was finally able to speak his mind._

_"Today is…my dad's birthday Serena" he said just above a whisper. He felt the grip that she had on his once again tighten causing that odd feeling to grow larger. What is going on with him? Why is this happening to him? Did he need to go see Nurse Joy? Maybe call his mom or Brock?_

_"So that's what this is about" Serena whispered. "I remember you telling me about this when we were little" She said sadly._

_"Yeah…" Ash mumbled. "I can't believe I never got to meet him. He left his own son without even saying as much as a goodbye! I may have been a newborn but he could have at least stayed for a day or two!" Ash said as he felt himself grow angry again only for said anger to be washed away by the odd and reoccurring warm sensation within his chest._

_"I don't even know what he looks like or anything about him. Imagine what it was like for my mom Serena; raising a child seemingly as a single mother tackling both her studies and a job as well as providing and taking care of her son…" He said softly. "I wonder if he even misses us; I have so many question to ask him like what his favorite kind of Pokemon was or what it was like to be a dad and even…what it's like to love someone" He didn't know why he had said that last part, he hadn't even planned on it but it had just…slipped out._

_"He was never there for me or my mom. He never taught me anything! Professor Oak was a better father than him and he wasn't even trying to be a dad as much as a voice of wisdom. I sometimes wonder if he loved us; mom and me…did he even love me or was I just a mistake-"_

_"Stop right there Ash Ketchum!" Serena said with a stern tone. She had been silent the entire time but that last sentence had made something inside of her snap as she now looked him dead in the eyes and said "You listen to me right here and right now Ash. You are not and was and never will be a mistake. Screw your dad!" She exclaimed causing Ash to cringe. Serena never used that kind of language no matter how frustrated or sad she was._

_"Screw your dad Ash!" She said again and noticed the look of shock on his face. "I know it must be hard to hear that…especially coming from me. Ash it doesn't matter what your dad did or didn't do and do you know why? Because you will be twice the man and father he was! You are going to fall in love with someone someday Ash and when you are married to that girl and she bears your children you will love and cherish your family more than he ever had. Your father had taken both your mom and yourself for granted Ask and I know that you aren't selfish enough to follow in his footsteps. You are not your father Ash and you are foolish to think you are in any way shape or form! You are who you are because of him and that is why the people around you like you and care about you and even…love you" She said with slight hesitation on the last part which for some miraculous reason Ash had noticed._

_"You are you Ash Ketchum and nobody else" She finished and felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist and found herself in an emotional embrace with Ash._

_"Thank you. Thank you so much Serena" Ash said through joyous sobs. After these tears had ceased the two sat in silence on the bed until Ash brought up something she never knew about. "You know I met somebody who had the same conversation as we had just moments ago. Her father had left her too…" He said softly and Serena felt her heart skip a beat. "Her name was Dawn and she is someone I will never forget about. I met her back in the Sinnoh Region and the two of us, along with Brock, traveled together as I competed in the Sinnoh League and as Dawn competed in Pokemon Contests" A smile formed on his face as he went over to his bag and pulled out his photo album as he had in the past and flipped through pages until he found what he was looking for._

_"This is Dawn" Ash said as he showed Serena a picture that nearly shattered her heart. In the image it showed Dawn in a pink dress that she could only assume was for contests with her arms wrapped around a tuxedo wearing Ash._

_"This is from when we all competed in the Wallace Cup. All of us participated; Brock, myself, Dawn and May who had made a surprise visit. Dawn ended up winning and Brock had taken the picture but had only given one to Dawn. After the League we all went to Canalave City where me and Brock were about to board a ship that had set corse for Vermilion City back in the Kanto Region. She approached me with a second copy of that picture but on the back was a recipe for Sea Salt Ice cream. We all had found it when we had visited Alamos Town and during a beautiful sunset we all sat on top of a clock tower and ate Sea Salt flavored Popsicles. She gave me the recipe…hey you know what? How about we make this tomorrow together?"_

_"T-Together?!" Serena stammered to which Ash nodded his head. "I-I would love too!"_

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_"You guys are real slow you know" Ash said with a smirk as he stood on top of a hill watching his traveling companions slowly trudging towards him. The boy from Pallet Town and his friends were currently leaving Greenmeadow City, a place in which Serena found herself winning her first showcase which thrilled both herself and her friends._

_"You guys need to limber up or something! Do some stretching or pull-ups I don't know!" He teased as he looked at the exhausted blonde haired gym leader lying on his side with sweat dripping down the sides of his face. He was clutching his stomach before curling up into a ball and Ash asked "Cramp?"_

_"Cramp" Clemmont replied as Bonnie scrambled over to her exasperated brother and one would think that the little sister would try to comfort her brother or try to soothe the pain but no, not Bonnie._

_"Come on Clemmont get up! How am I supposed to find you a wife if you're just laying there!" Bonnie exclaimed causing both Ash and Serena to fall over in a comical fashion._

_"If that's the case then maybe I'll just stay here and rest for awhile" Clemmont said between his frequent panting. "We need to get you into shape! Get up and give me twenty push ups!" Bonnie said in a very demanding tone only to receive no response from her older brother. "Clemmont do it right now or else!" She screamed as she began to pout childishly causing her two friends to laugh though neither of the siblings seemed to notice. As Serena began to dial down her laughter she felt a tug on her arm and found herself being pulled away from the arguing siblings by none other than Ash Ketchum._

_"Ash? What was that about?" Serena asked him curiously as the two sat on the grassy part of the hill just outside of an earshot distance of the Lumiose City's Gym Leader and his little sister. He simply shrugged his shoulders and said "I got tired of their bickering; didn't you?"_

_"I guess so" Serena said as her thoughts began to wander. A thought or two popped into her head prompting her to ask the question of how Ash had become so physically fit. She knew that he had traveled for a very long time but his level of stamina and tolerance to pain was unusually excellent._

_"Hey Ash can I ask you something?" Serena asked him prompting Ash to turn his head towards his friend and say "Sure; why not?"_

_"How have you become so athletic?" Serena asked as a blush slowly made way to her face and that odd feeling to return to Ash's chest. Why did Serena want to know about something like that? Did she find him attractive or was she disgusted by him? Was she impressed by his endurance and strength? Ash quickly shook his head trying to dispose of these thoughts that now had began to scare him._

_"I guess it's really because of all the years I've spent traveling and training with my friends and Pokemon" Ash replied but was surprised when his answer had left Serena unsatisfied._

_"I know that but have there been any instances where you worked harder than others?" She asked curiously prompting a grin to form on Ash's lips. "I guess you could say that Serena" Ash said cryptically before continuing with his thought. "If I had to think of anything that would be a viable answer to your question it would have to be my most recent journey through the Unova Region and I guess it's all because of a good friend of mine"_

_"What was his name?" Serena asked curiously but was met with an odd look from her friend. "Actually her name is Iris; she is from the Village of Dragons" Ash said clearing up her previous statement but unknowingly left a patch of anxiety in her heart. "My trip to Unova was really different from those before it" He said causing Serena's heart beat to increase._

_"Why was th-that?" Serena stammered. Was his journey different because of the Pokemon he caught? Or maybe the friends he made or the people he traveled with? Was it because of this Iris girl?_

_"Well I guess because of how it all started" Ash replied. "You see when I arrived in the Unova Region I was with Professor Oak and my mom; we were going to visit the regions professor Juniper but…"_

_"But what?" Serena asked her friend curiously._

_"We had a run in with one of the legendary dragon type pokemon named Zekrom" Ash said grimly. "It resided up in a thunder cloud and for whatever the reason zapped Pikachu and he was unable to use any of his electric type attacks which resulted in us losing to a trainer who had just literally received their starter pokemon" Ash took a deep breath before continuing. "Anyways after I met Iris...I had to constantly keep up with her. She was raised in the wild and she was unbelievably quick on her feet and in the trees, using vines to zoom ahead of us. So I guess that's why I am so physically fit"_

_"I…I see" Serena mumbled as she found herself unconsciously staring into Ash's eyes. She suddenly found a new sense of courage and confidence within herself. Could she finally do it? Confess her feelings to the raven haired boy? Never before had she felt so empowered to do something as such so she took the chance._

_"Hey Ash…there is something I need to tell you" The honey haired performer said softly catching the attention of the Kanto native. When he was looking into her eyes she said nervously "I've been meaning to tell you this for…a long time Ash" For whatever the reason both friends found themselves inching closer and closer together. Their hearts both raced and minds not knowing what was going on with their bodies as Ash whispered "And what would that be?"_

_Both not only Serena's head but Ash's as well began to slowly lean towards each other. As their lips grew closer Ash could feel her breath on them which for some odd reason made him internally shudder. What as going on with him? Why was he leaning closer to his childhood friend and feeling the sudden urge to…kiss her?_

_"Ash…I lo-"_

_"BONNIE NOT AGAIN" A voice shouted loudly snapping both teens out of their trance and immediately pulling their faces away from each other with both sharing a mutual blood red blush. The voice was none other than that of Clemmont who could be seen carrying Bonnie with his Aipom arm away from what looked to be a girl around his age. Both Ash and Serena got up and ignored the others presence in an awkward silence as they watched their friends make their way over to them with both having rather embarrassing thoughts._

_'I was so close!' Serena screamed internally. 'The one time I was about to tell him it just had to be ruined! We were even about to kiss!"_

_'What just happened…' Ash thought to himself anxiously. Was this warm feeling in his chest signaling that he was sick? But if he was then why did he not feel sick? This was something defiantly he needed to discuss with Brock later. Strange how he sought advice from a man who claimed that he was he was head over heels in love with every girl he met. That's when it hit him. He wasn't sick in fact Ash Ketchum was in love. He felt his eyes widen at this sudden realization, he couldn't love his best friend could he? If he did then it would explain the warm feelings he had been experiencing lately and how much he cared for it._

_"That's it isn't it" Ash said softly to himself though this was heard by his friend and she asks "Did you say something Ash?"_

_"Huh? You must be hearing things Serena" Ash replied and with a shrug of her shoulders Serena decided to move on from it and Ash found his heart beating faster. He needed to contact Brock ASAP_

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_"Ash these is so good!" Bonnie exclaimed in between the bites she took of her pancakes. She was afterwords chided by her brother when he said "Bonnie don't speak when there is food in your mouth!" Though this was ironic because…_

_"Speak for yourself Clemmont!" Serena giggled cutely as she put down her glass of water. The trio were enjoying a batch of pancakes that were made by an unexpected cook in the form of Ash Ketchum. Originally appalled at the idea of eating something that was cooked by the boy with his messy jet black hair but found herself enjoying the breakfast he had prepared. Ash had long ago finished the mountain he had made for himself and found himself staring at none other than Serna Yvvone. A few weeks ago he had called Brock and discussed what had been going on and after this discussion Ash had came to accept the fact that he was indeed in fact crushing on his childhood friend. He would sometimes find himself staring at her when she wasn't looking or thinking about her in his dreams but all in all this concept of "love" was very new and foreign to him._

_"I see that you guys enjoy my little treat" Ash said with a grin and received no answer from his friends. "I'll take your silence as a yes" He chuckled to himself. He turned around and looked at Pikachu who along with the rest of the Pokemon eating as well. He was about to make another batch for himself until he felt a gentle tap on his shoulder. He turned around and found himself face-to-face with Serena. "Can I help you?" He asked._

_"Ash where did you learn how to cook like this?" Serena asked curiously. Ash simply scratched his head and said "Well I guess I learned most of it from Cilian" When he received a questioning stare from the honey haired teen he simply sighed as he took her hand and lead her back to the table all the while both teens cheeks had earned a light blush. Once she had taken a seat next to him he said "Cilian is a friend of mine that I traveled with during the Unova Region"_

_"So he traveled with you and Iris?' Serena ask hopefully and when She received a nod from her friend she internally gave a sigh of relief. He hadn't traveled with this Iris girl alone after all. Ash suddenly pulled out his famous photo album that she had become so accustomed to after seeing it so many times. He flipped through a large set of pages before coming to what he was looking for and showed her a photo of Ash leaning against a tree with a girl with purple hair hanging upside down from the branches and a green haired man on the ground looking as if he had recently fallen out of said tree._

_"That's Iris" Ash said pointing to the girl with purple hair._

_"So that must be Cilian?" Serena asked as she moved her hand towards the man with green hair to which Ash nodded his head._

_"You know it's kind of funny…" Ash chuckled cryptically as he received an odd glance from Serena and Ash decided to evaluate. "You see had it not been for them I wouldn't even be in Kalos. During our journey we met Alexa and had we not then I never would have-"_

_"Come here?" Serna asked curiously to which Ash received a nod. "Actually I owe it to all my friends…I've used everything they have taught me in this journey and that is something that's never happened before…a lot of new things have happened during this journey" Ash said softly._

_"Like what?" Serena asked curiously while not noticing Ash staring intently at her as he said "Just things"_

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_We find our heroes in Blackwell City, a cheerful city known for its annual Pokemon Competitions hence the reasons why Ash and Co was here. They found themselves in the midst of a thunderstorm as they ran down a dark ally located in between two apartment complexes. What started as a gentle pitter patter of rain drops had quickly changed into an all out downpour in which a flood had started. Leading the pack was none other than their groups unelected leader Ash Ketchum, behind him was his childhood friend Serena who was holding the hand of a very frightened Bonnie with Clemmont taking up the rear. It was as if the group was running from something…_

_"Clemmont step on it!" Ash yelled as the sound of thunder boomed causing the youngest member of the group to whimper only to feel Serena tighten her grip on the little girl's hand. "Everything is going to be fine Bonnie I promise" She said as the little girl nodded her head in agreement._

_"Can't we just take a quick breather?" Clemmont asked while catching his breath but only to frustrate the boy who wore a signature Pokemon League cap on his head._

_"There's no time Clemmont! We need to get to higher ground before-" Ash snapped only for his sentence to go unfinished as the sound of roaring water flooded their ears. "Oh snap" He muttered under his breath. "Everybody run!" He screamed as he grabbed Serena's hand leading her as well as their companions away from what may come. Clemmont scooped Bonnie up off of the ground with his famous Aipom arm and took off after their friends. The group turned ran as far as they could until the approached a chained fence that blocked their escape and a sense of dread cast on the group. They turned around and saw what they had been running from; from a corner of the alleyway in the far distance an alarming amount of water flew out and continued its way towards the frightened children._

_Ash began to frantically look back and forth between the oncoming flood and the chained fence until he made a decision. "Clemmont get over here!" Ash yelled as the blonde haired inventor ran over to him. Ash knelt down on his knees and in one hand took one of Clemmont feet before exclaimed "Go!" And Clemmont successfully vaulted over the fence. The Gym Leaders famous Aipom arm reached over the fence and in its hand took the Bonnie before yanking her over the it leaving only Serena and Ash on the other side. Clemmont and Bonnie watched intently through the holes in the fence as Ash yelled "Serena let's go!" Serena quickly dashed over to her crush and she mimicked the actions of the blonde haired inventor until she found herself on the other side of the fence as well. Once again Ash looked back and forth between the fence and the rushing water that was fast approaching him and bit his lip. He picked up his lifelong partner and looked him in the eyes before saying "I want you to go with them Pikachu and keep them safe"_

_"Pika Pi" Pikachu said in agreement as the yellow mouse ran up Ash's arm before leaping off of it and onto the other side of the fence. When everyone was on the other side of the fence Ash smiled sadly at his friends and they all felt the sudden sense of dread once again as they realized what Ash was doing._

_"Ash come on!" Serena screamed over the clapping thunder as she stared at her crush hoping that he wasn't going to do what she thought he was but her fears were confirmed when he sadly shook his head and said "I'm not going with you guys"_

_"What Ash you're kidding right?!" Bonnie said through tears as Ash replied with "No Bonnie I'm not" This sentence had both girls in tears and Clemmont struggled to hide his own as well. "Clemmont; I saw a door up there earlier that leads to one of the apartments! Get everybody inside now! Go!" Ash exclaimed and Clemmont nodded and took Bonnie's hand in his own. "Come on let's go guys!" Clemmont yelled but Serena did not acknowledge him._

_"Ash there has to be another way!" Serena said in between choked sobs as she stuck her arm throughout the chained fence desperately trying to grab Ash but failed. "Serena you need to go!" Ash yelled as he heard the sloshing sounds get closer. "I'm not leaving without you!" She screeched as she desperately tried to grab his hand only to receive a sad smile from her raven haired crush. Ash took off his famous Pokemon League cap and tossed it over to the other side of the fence in which it was caught in the arms of a teary eyed Serena. "Remember how you held on to my handkerchief and vowed to find me again?" She nodded before Ash pointed at the hat and said "It will have sentimental value to you…I want you to keep it"_

_"No Ash! No!" Serena wailed as Pikachu tried to pull Serena away from the fence but to no avail causing Ash to sigh. In his hands he took three pokeballs and threw them into the air and on the other side came out his Fletchinder, his Hawlucha, and his Goomy. The three Pokemon looked around and saw their master and friend on the other side of a chained fence but their questions were answered when Ash said "Guys make sure that they make it to safety ok?" His Pokemon, not knowing what was going on, agreed and Fletchinder lowered one of its wings allowing Goomy to slide on top of the fire birds back._

_"You need to go now!" Ash yelled as he watched Clemmont along with Hawlucha to pry her away from the fence and Hawlucha took to the skies along with Fletchinder and Goomy. After being pulled away from the fence and finally giving in Serena turned around and followed Clemmont, Bonnie, and Ash's Pokemon while turning around occasionally looking at the raven haired boy with tears in her eyes until she couldn't see him anymore and watched the water knock over the fence._

* * *

_When Ash saw his friends reach the apartment and were safely inside he turned around and desperately ran over to a dumpster in the left and leaped over it and continued to run down the ally. With the water growing closer and closer his hope of escaping the impending flood grew smaller and smaller until he ran into what he claimed would be the death of him._

_A brick wall_

_A brick wall that was too high for him to climb over and he watched as the water metaphorically chased him and was fast approached until he found himself stepping back until his back was flat against the wall. "This is it" Ash said softly before he tightly shut his eyes but was utterly shocked when he heard a voice he recognized all to well._

_"Well look what the cat dragged in" The voice said prompting Ash to open his eyes and look up to where the voice came from. "Always one step behind me as always" The voice teased as he could make out a boy the same age as himself standing on a fire escape. The boy had spiky mahogany colored hair and was roughly the same height as Ash if not maybe an inch or two taller. He stared at our distressed raven haired hero and gave him a cheeky grin. He had a white undershirt that was covered up by a dark brown jacket and around his neck was a necklace with an odd pendent that looked remarkably similar to the symbol for yin and yang. "Isn't that right Ashy-boy?" The boy snickered causing Ash's eyes to widen._

_"Gary? Why are you here?" Ash asked curiously as the thought of the flood that was about to kill him simply washed away when learning that one of his childhood friends and rivals was standing right in front of him well more like right above him. Gary looked at the raven haired trainer before standing up and with a swift kick he broke an odd switch causing a metal rung ladder to decline from above and was just within an arm's reach of the seemingly doomed Pokemon Master in training. The sound of Gary's gray boots hitting the metal floor of the fire escape echoed throughout the alleyway and both boys from the town of Pallet turned and saw the oncoming waves that had the capability to destroy entire cities. Gary immediately turned towards Ash before yelling "Hurry up Ketchum! We don't have much time!" Ash nodded before beginning to climb up the ladder with each footstep ringing off of its metal rungs. When he pulled himself up and found himself face to face with Gary he took a deep breath believing that the hard part was over but alas he was an idiot, something that Gary touched up on._

_"What are you doing you idiot!" Gary yelled as he began to run off and sprint up the numerous amount of stairs to which Ash mimicked his actions until the two boys found themselves at the very top of the building near a door which Ash could only assume led to Gary's apartment but before he could ask Gary kicked open the door and shoved Ash inside resulting in Ash landing on his stomach with a very loud thud._

_"What the hell Gary!" Ash growled at the grandson of the famous Professor Oak. "Had I not done that you would be dead" Gary snapped as he pointed to where the door was._

_"You see that?" Gary asked angrily causing Ash to roll his eyes thinking that Gary was trying to make him look stupid. "Yes Gary; it's a door! You know the thing that you-" Ash retorted until his eyes widened as he watched the door be yanked away from the wall leaving behind only crumbled Sheetrock and a giant hole where the door had previously been. Ash stood up and slowly walked over to where the door had been moments ago and looked down to the alley he had just been in and he saw nothing but water; but that didn't make any sense because where was the fire- "Over there Ash" Gary said sternly before pointing towards not only the crippled remains of the door but the entire fire escape as well being washed away in the current._

_"Oh" Ash said nonchalantly causing Gary to face palm. He grabbed Ash's arm tightly and threw him into an arm chair leaving the raven haired boy staring at him with the facial expression that clearly translated to what the hell just happened._

_"Ash what's wrong with you!" Gary yelled loudly. "Didn't you know that there were flash flood warnings across the entire city?!" He said while his entire body shook in what may have been not only rage but concern._

_"How was I supposed to know? It's not like there were signs of any announcements of what was going on!" Ash snapped back as he began to grit his teeth in frustration. "And why the hell are you here if it's so dangerous then?!" He yelled as the two rivals began to butt heads and yell obscenities at each other until their rage subsided and it took the Pokemon Researcher this long to finally realize something._

_"Where's Pikachu?" Gary asked only to be met by Ash's crestfallen facial expression. He was about to answer but he was asked another question as well. "Aren't you traveling with people like you usually do? Or did you decided to go on this one alone?" He asked and was about to ask more questions but Ash raised his hand signifying that he wanted Gary to kindly shut up._

_"I didn't come here alone Gary" Ash said softly. "I'm traveling with a group of friends and we all got caught up in this mess…we found somewhere safe to hide but I stayed behind, there was an apartment complex on the other side of a metal fence and I helped everybody get on the other side…I told Pikachu to go with them Gary" His friend only looked at the broken boy who wished to become a Pokemon Master and frowned. He walked away from his friend before briefly returning with two mugs with a liquid beverage in them. Gary handed one of the mugs and Ash looked at him with an odd look prompting the mahogany haired researcher to smile weakly and say "Hot Chocolate" The two sat in silence occasionally taking small and gentle sips from their hot chocolate until Gary asked "So how many badges do you have?"_

_"I have three" Ash replied monotonically causing Gary to sigh. "They will be ok Ash" He said as he placed a hand on the boys shoulder but felt himself gasp when he saw the pride of Pallet Town break down into tears. "Come on you big lug it's gonna be fine" Gary said in a pitiful attempt to cheer up his friend but failed. He cried for minutes. Ash Ketchum, THE Ash Ketchum cried in front of his childhood friend and rival for minutes until he finally pulled himself together causing both to sit in yet another awkward silence._

_"So…" Gary said with a forced smile as he tried to change the subject. "Who are you traveling with?" Gary felt himself crack a grin when he swear that he saw a smile form on Ash's lips._

_"I'm traveling with Gym Leader named Clemmont and his little sister Bonnie along with a girl named…Serena" Ash said as his voice became softer and softer towards the end of that sentence causing Gary to throw his head back and look at the ceiling._

_"Funny…I haven't heard that name since that summer camp. Do you remember that girl with the straw hat?" Gary asked but was confused when he saw Ash bite his quivering lip. "S-She's the one Gary" Ash stammered resulting in Gary looking at him in a very odd manner._

_"What does that mean?" He asked._

_"Straw hat girl is who I'm traveling with" Ash said sadly. "Serena…Serena Yvvone" He whispered sadly causing Gary's eyes to widen. "Wow…small world am I right?" Gary asked in a teasingly sort of fashion but was met only by the grim face of Ash Ketchum. Gary had never seen the boy who had woken up late on his 10th birthday so distressed before in his entire life and frankly it frightened him dearly. "Am I…missing something?" Gary asked after realizing that Ash's mood had worsened since he made mention of the straw hat girl. He felt his jaw drop when Ash said "I love her Gary"_

_"Holy…You're serious aren't you?" Gary asked astounded that the dense as a brick Ash Ketchum had fallen in love. "As serious as a heart attack" Ash replied causing Gary to frown. "When did you come to that conclusion?" Gary asked curiously._

_"A few weeks ago. I thought I was sick or had a new disease or something because I kept feeling weird around Serena…it was a warm and fuzzy feeling and after talking to Brock we both came to the conclusion that I love her man" Ash said sadly but grit his teeth when he heard a chuckle escape the lips of Gary Oak._

_"Only you would think that being in love was a disease" Gary teased only for Ash's mood to not change causing him to sigh. The sudden sound of helicopters flying by made both boys from Pallet Town to rush to one of the windows. "They must be evacuating people…" Gary mumbled before reaching for a a pokeball. "Hey Ash" Gary said as he enlarged the ball "I think I have something that belongs to you" and with that Gary tossed it in the air and out came a large bird with large and glossy plumage. The feathers on its head-crest were nearly as long as its body and these feathers were yellow and red. Its tail feathers also had a red tint. Its underbelly was a creamy sort of tan-like color and it had black markings around its eyes. The sudden return of one of Ash's first brought him to tears as he slowly reached out towards the birds head and whispered "P-Pid-Pidg-Pidgeot?" The bird nodded its head and nuzzled it against his former trainers chest though there was a major size difference. He turned to Gary and asked "Why are you doing this?"_

_"Because if I was in your position I would want to find them before they do" Gary replied referencing the search and rescue teams. Ash nodded and hopped on Pidgeot's back and was about to take off but was stopped by Gary._

_"Hey Ash" The auburn haired trainer said causing Ash to turn around and face him. Gary reached in his shirt and revealed that he was wearing a second necklace though this one was different than what you would expect a Pokemon Researcher to wear. It was a chain and attached to it was the top half of a pokeball. "You still have yours?" He asked to which Ash mimicked his exact actions and reached in his shirt revealing a necklace of his own with this time a bottom half of a pokeball attached instead. Some could say it was like two halves of a whole, two peas in a pod, even the yin and the yang of the two boys but all it was simply was a rusty old pokeball that had long ago broken in two and it was a physical representation of the friendship they shared. "Of course I do" Ash said with a grin before making a clicking noise to the bird that had been protecting the flock of Kantanese birds from the ferocious flock of Spearow's and Fearow's and upon hearing the noise it flapped its large wings and took to the skies at an alarming speed with the force of its takeoff making the sides of Gary's unzipped jacket to flutter in the wind._

**...**

* * *

_"Serena please calm down!' Bonnie pleaded to the girl that she saw as an older sister who like herself had been shedding tears nonstop since leaving their friend from Kanto behind to what was certain death. The trio had fled to an apartment complex and were currently hiding inside of the room of what they could only believe had been that of one of the people whom had fled the city. Serena was on the sofa laying on her belly crying into a pillow. Pikachu began to gently poke the distressed girl trying to quell her crying._

_"Pika Pi" Pikachu said as Serena felt a sudden surge of anger seemingly burst in her body and pulled her head out of the pillow and venomously said "Calm down? Calm down! How can I calm down when Ash is gone!"_

_"We don't know that for sure Serena" Bonnie said softly trying not to show the fear she currently had. "He still has Frogadier so there is still hope-"_

_"No Bonnie there isn't!" Serena screamed hysterically. "IF there was hope then why did he give us Pikachu? Why would he give us Hawlucha? Fletchinder? Goomy?" Serena exclaimed shooting up from the sofa sending Pikachu tumbling off. Her hands were tucked into her chest and this entire time she had been clinging to the raven haired boy's hat for dear life._

_"Why Bonnie...why?" Serena said in what began as a yell but slowly became a soft and broken voice before beginning to sob again._

_"Serena..." Bonnie said in a hushed tone as she gently grabbed the honey haired girls arm and pulled her back to the sofa. The older girl collapsed and laid her head into Bonnie's lap while crying feverishly. "Why Bonnie..." Serena whispered through her choked sobs. While Bonnie tended to Serena Pikachu gave a soft sigh before scampering out of the room and found the blonde haired inventor in the kitchen with his head down on the table in a similar state as the two females in the other room but he had managed to self regulate his feelings of sadness better. PIkachu turned to the windowsill and saw what was considered to be the weakest dragon type Pokemon Goomy staring out and watching the rain fall from the sky sadly. Pikachu turned towards Hawlucha, the noble fighting and flying type Pokemon who was sitting by the door as if guarding it from any possible intruders. Fletchinder however was nowhere to be seen, it had been sent to search for help 15 minutes ago and the yellow mouse began to cry as well. His lifelong friend and master was gone. There would be no more memories that could be made with the raven haired boy and now after bottling it up for so long, Pikachu finally let it all out. The electric type Pokemon that was registered as the 25th Pokemon in the Pokedex cried. He cried for his friend Ash Ketchum; he cried for his friend Serena Yvvone, he cried for all of the Pokemon back at the lab but most of all he cried for himself. The sudden sound of a man grabbed everyone's attention._

_"Breach and clear on three men! One two three breach!" The voice said and the door flew off of its hinges causing Hawlucha to jump back and take a battle stance as the armed men entered the room._

_"Clear!" One of the men declared. In his hands he held a black M-4 Carbine assault rifle. A frag grenade was pinned to his bulletproof chest plate as he swung the 5.56 millimeter taking rifle around the room as he scanned the room for any threats that may come their way._

_"Clear!" Said the other. In her hands was a 12 gauge bullpup KSG. The shotgun with the capability to hold 12 slug rounds in a single magazine or other other words: this gun could really pack a punch. At the sight of the three armed men Clemmont yelped and threw his hands into the air causing the third man to say "At ease gentlemen" With that the two armed men nodded their heads and lowered their weapons._

_The third man approached Clemmont after holstering his .357 magnum (a revolver) and knelt down in front of the frightened blonde haired boy. The man had a pair of brown eyes. On top of his buzz cut fashioned black hair was a green cap and the man slowly moved his hand to his pocket and retrieved a lighter and a sweet Williams cigar to which he lit and inhaled before puffing out little rings of smoke. "Son what is your name?" The man asked._

_"M-My name is Clemmont" The inventor stuttered until he heard the sudden screams of his little sister and the honey haired girl from the hallway. He turned around and saw the two other armed men fragging them out into the living room restraining them._

_"Let them go!" Clemmont yelled in what he thought would be a heroic and bold voice but turned out to be more of a wimpy plea. Pikachu jumped in front of the two armed men with sparking cheeks and by his side was Hawlucha who took a battle stance._

_"Take it down a notch son" The dark skinned man said before turning to the two hostile Pokemon and said "You two as well" He tapped his cigar on the nearby table causing bits of ash to fall on to the table. "My name is Sargent Johnson and the man right there is Private Palomo and the girl is Corporal Alice. We are with the National Guard and extracting civilians. We don't want no trouble and our only task is to bring you to the extraction point unharmed" He turned towards Alice and Palomo and gave a whistle which resulted in the two releasing the girls from their grip. Johnson pulled out a walky talky and with the click of a button he said "This is Alpha Squad reporting in. We got three live ones and a couple of Pokemon ready for evac do you copy over?"_

_When Johnson received nothing but static he clenched his teeth and once again said "Extraction do you copy?" It took a moment but a voice from the electronic device said "We copy Alpha Squad. Can you give us your position?"_

_"Jackson and Company apartment complex; second to last floor give us our coordinates do you copy" Johnson replied._

_"We copy Sargent; we have a chopper inbound to your location. Eta is 5 minutes; water levels are rising Sargent and things are not looking good for you"_

_"Say again extraction; sounds like you said-" Johnson said before being interrupted by what may have been an earthquake._

_"The fuck was that?" Alice asked as she tightened her grip on her gun._

_"Must have been one of the pillars holding up the building, the Jackson cooperation uses them for all of their facilities" Palomo relied causing Johnson to angrily punch the wall. He pulled out his revolver before shouting "We gotta move now men, the building won't be safe for much longer! Go, Go, Go!" The group immediately ran out of the room and was shocked when they saw patches of the wooden floor in the hallway missing. "Come on!" Johnson yelled as he led everyone towards a staircase and everybody ran up until the found themselves on the roof and were relieved when they saw a helicopter. The group of six quickly began to load themselves onto the helicopter. First went Alice who in turn helped Bonnie and Clemmont get on to the choppy and was followed by Palomo and Johnson._

_"Come on! We gotta go-" Johnson said as he reached for Serena's hand only for the building to shake and it began to crumble. "No!" He yelled as he watched the girl slide down the collapsing roof._

_"Sargent Major we have to go! I can't keep her stable forever!" The pilot exclaimed referring to their helicopter. Johnson could only watch as the Pokemon Performer to what would be the death of her. Unable to speak he simply knocked on the metal frame and the helicopter took off and you could barely hear the cries of Bonnie and Clemmont over the rotating blades…_

**...**

_This was it. This is how she was going to die. Serena watched herself slip away from reality as she began to plummet towards the chunks of the building that had fallen as the helicopter took off. A sad smile formed on her face. "It's all over now…" She whispered between her choked sobs. She shut her eyes tightly not wanting to feel the spine crushing blow that would be the end of her. Now she would be with him in death. She metaphorically opened her arms and was awaiting for death to come and take her to the one she loved but it never came. Instead of feeling pain she felt herself smash into something rather soft. Between sobs she slowly opened her eyes and her heart skipped a beat before she realized where she was._

_She was in the arms of Ash Ketchum_

_"Ash!" Serena screamed as she wrapped her arms around him neck before beginning to feverishly sob into his chest. She was ok…he was ok..._

_"Shhh it's ok Serena" Ash said softly as he rubbed her back. "I'm here and you are going to be fine" He whispered. "It's all ok now. Everything is ok Serena" He whispered into her hair as he shed tears of his own and heard the joyous thrill of the golden bird that he had finally reunited with._

_Gary…thank you_

Serena smiled when she finally caught up to Ash and Misty as they waited for her at the entrance of the city. "Took you long enough" Ash said playfully as he stuck out his tongue.

"What were you doing anyways?" Misty asked curiously. Serena simply smiled before answering "Things…just things

* * *

**Well that was by far the longest thing I have ever written. The longest chapter as well: 13 almost 14K! Now don't expect this often though, this took a lot of time and planning and this chappy slowly became a chapter within a chapter. The point of this chapter was not only to show how the friendships Ash had and how they were effective during his Kalos journey but also to show how Ash began to develop feelings for you know who ;) So prom was last Saturday and well…I didn't go :/ Drama drama drama and instead of people getting together they broke up and I guess…maybe I should have gone…maybe should have asked her…god why to feelings have to be so fucking complicated! They are more stressful than rejection itself! Anybody else relate? Now a few things: I wanna give another shout out to Emperor SS who just completed his Amourshipping fic "Don't let me down" be warned it does have adult themes (not like sex and stuff cause it's rated T) as in darker themes that may be sensitive to some people…suicide…Yupp..IT HAS A HAPPY ENDING THOUGH! Serious go check out his fic cause it is realllyy good :D Oh I reuploaded the chappy because in between each flashback I tried to do somehting fancy instead of a linebreak but I guess I can' use that star symbol by doing "Shift 5" so I apologize for that because I realized this a couple hours ago and also to clear up a bit of confusion Clemmont and Bonnie arent dead -_- Flashback people!**

**Lastly…ok this is kind of a rant. Ok I am absolutely sick of betrayed fics with the themes of literally EVERYBODY (pokemon and family included) betraying him. Like it is SUCH A PET PEEVE! Really it is by far the most fucking unrealistic thing ever! Your mom and pokemon along with everybody you care about betraying you because he quote on quote "Sucks" Sorry if you are writing one like that but Idk why but I found one that just really irked me of jus**t** UGHGHGHG! Anyways schools almost over so updates may be a bit slower but I'm trying hard guys. I feel like I had a lot more to write but I kind of forget…I hope you enjoyed this chappy and that it was worth the wait :) R&amp;R Guys**_**!**_


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey guys now may I say holy crap last chappy had so many problems with it! By that I mean I had to edit it using a computer instead of a tablet cause apparently 14K is too much to handle -_- Also have you guys seen people write fics and instead of using line breaks they would do some fancy shit with special letters or symbols? Well turns out I suck at it and a THREE TIMES IT DIDN'T WORK! I'm glad I re uploaded it when I did though because frankly I was embarrassed! I put two weeks into that bad boy and for all those technical difficulties really pissed me off. Regardless I hope everybody is doing well and wow school is almost over…frankly I'm kind of sad. After this I'm going to be in my final year of high school and right now I kind of just don't want to grow up yet. All that responsibility and other stuff just scares me and I don't think I'm quite ready for that yet; given though I have been told I shouldn't look at everything all at once and just in smaller bits but hey I'm not there yet. Also last Friday the seniors left and now I am kind of alone; a lot of my friends were seniors and now I'm back to being that antisocial misfit :/ Enough of the unintentional pity party and enjoy everyone! **

**Daily quote: "I didn't bring it in, it got inside on its own. They always will, the dead and the living because we're in here… and the ones out there, they'll hunt us, they'll find us, they'll try to use us and they'll try to kill us. But we'll kill them. We'll survive, I'll show you how. You know I was thinking... I was thinking how many of you do I have to kill to save your lives, but I'm not gonna do that ... you're gonna change. I'm not sorry for what I said last night, I'm sorry for not saying it sooner. You're not ready, but you have to be, right now, you have to be. Luck runs out." Rick Grimes AMC's The Walking Dead**

* * *

What had started as a light shower had slowly become an all out downpour in the city of Alto Mare. The name was Italian and the name means the "High Sea". This shower however did not change the daily routine for any of its citizens however, one in particular was off to go to a hidden garden where the two legendary eon dragons resided. This person was a girl in fact, a girl that wore a very short white pants as well. She also had long black socks that made their way up her thighs that were accompanied by a pair of pink running shoes. On her head was a small white fedora and her red hair that resembled that of a legendary pokemons horns(?). In her hands was a wicker basket filled to the brim with dark red roses. The girl turned to the sky after hearing the clapping of thunder and grew worried. It wasn't supposed to rain today and especially not a downpour like it was now.

"Bianca! Get a move on! I don't like being stuck in the rain" A gruff voice said causing the girl to turn around to see her grandfather Lorenzo, a man who was wearing a pair of blue overalls and a red t-shirt. The man looked to be in his mid to late 60's as his white beard had grown significantly longer in the past few years. Despite his age however he seemed to be full of energy as he was in front of the his own granddaughter. Bianca gave her grandfather a blank look as he tapped his cane against the wet brick pavement.

"Sorry grandpa!" Bianca apologized as she bowed her head. "My mind was just…somewhere else" Her odd tone did grow Lorenzo want to ask more questions but figured that it was nothing and the two continued on their way to the secret garden. The duo made their way down the streets and past Alto Mare's famous museum which held something deadly inside; a weapon of mass destruction that had been built as a last resort to protect the small and peaceful city. Bianca stared at the building as they past it and began to reminisce about that horrific event that occurred several years ago. Their peaceful city and everyone in it was almost wiped from existence because of two greedy girls known as Annie and Oakly.

Long ago the city was watched over by two legendary dragon type Pokemon, Latias and Latios. The story behind the two involved an evil Pokémon Trainer using a Kabutops and an Aerodactyl to terrorize the citizens of their beloved city until Latios came to the city, using his powers to drown the evil Pokémon thus turning the streets into canals. However, Latios died and his children were left orphans. His soul was now known simple as the Soul Dew. The heroic sacrifice has been remembered in Alto Mare for decades and two new guardians had resurfaced after a short amount of time. A new Latios had been born from the soul dew along with his sister Latias. From that point on the two protected the city and all was well but…

_All good things must come to an end_

A few years ago the citizens of Alto Mare were terrorized yet again by not only the resurrected Kabutops and Aerodactyl Thanks to not one but two terrorists who desired to rule the world with an iron fist. The terrorists names were Annie and Oakly and both were seeking one invaluable object

_The Soul Dew_

During the early phases of their plan a group of trainers entered the city and took part in the annual Tour De Alto Mare, a water chariot race. The trainers names were Ash Ketchum, Misty Waterflower, and Brock Harrison and all of these people were dubbed by Bianca as her friends. The trio got tangled up in the mess because it seemed that Latias and Ash had developed some sort of bond which ultimately led to the defeat of Annie and Oakly who had captured and to tortured a now near death Latios. During the battle the Soul Dew fell into the water and was carried out to sea which resulted in a catastrophic calamity being a tsunami that was heading right for Alto Mare. The great guardians fought off this oncoming threat but it was too much for the two and that's when a decision was made. This decision was made by Latios who had decided to put his entire being into one final attack, his all powerful Luster Purge which ultimately saved the city but at a cost.

_His life_.

Since that day history had repeated itself and a new Latios had been born from the soul dew of the recently sacrificed eon dragon and the city was once again protected by Latios and a more experienced Latias.

"Bianca over here!" Lorenzo called thus snapping Bianca out of her thoughts as she realized they had arrived at the secret garden in which its existence was known only by a select few. As the two cautiously entered the garden they did not know that they were being watched by a money crazed Pokemon Hunter. The Pokemon Hunter smirked as she flicked her wrist and the gun like attachment on her arm powered up. The girl began to laugh sinisterly before exclaiming "The hunt has begun!"

* * *

"So is this it?" Serena asked as the trio stood in front of a red roofed home inside of Pewter City. Serena looked at the house with a small smile on her face; it was nice knowing that not all generalizations about cities were true seeing as how Pewter City was actually a very environmentally friendly city. Had she not known where she was then she would have assumed that Pewter City was actually a town and not a city. The house was a clear red flag in an odd sense; the beautiful white walls were surrounded not by city pavement and the sounds of car horns and the smell of gasoline were absent as well; instead it looked like any cozy and ordinary home. The home of the Harrison's had a few trees off in the near distance with one right in behind the house as well. The thing that astounded her the most was that there was grass yes, but not that synthetic grass. It was all natural. She turned to her two friends that had already made their way to the door and she could see both the Gym Leader and the Pokemon Master in training begin to pound on the door.

"Guys wait!" Serena yelled as she dashed over to her overly excited companions. "You should be hitting the door so-" Her sentence was cut off when she saw the door swung open. A boy with spiky brown hair appeared and said "Hello may I-" But he was unfortunately bonked on the head by Misty who had been smacking the door with her infamous mallet thus sending the boy to the ground.

"Help you?" The boy said in a daze as he laid on the ground and Serena finished her sentence as well.

"So hard" Serena said as her eyes narrowed causing Ash and Misty to turn around and nervously scratch the back of their heads. Ash was the first to recover and turned to face the boy who had been struck down (_unintentionally_) by the orange haired girl.

"Sorry about that Forrest" Ash said as he sweat dropped before pulling the boy to his feet. The boy was about Serena's height and maybe her age as well give or take a few years. He had dark skin and he was wearing a green and tan striped t-shirt along with a pair of blue jeans. The boy dusted himself off and casually said "It's ok Ash-wait what? Ash!" His eyes suddenly widened and his jaw seemingly was hanging on his head by a thread.

"Y-You're supposed to be dead!" He exclaimed causing Ash to sweat drop. "Situations changed now-" Ash said until Forrest cut him off.

"Hey is that Misty?" Forrest asked before turning to Serena and as their gazes met hearts formed in his eyes before rushing over to her in a blink of an eye and Serena found the dark skinned boy kneeling down in front of her as if he was proposing to her.

"I see how it is! The dead must have brought me a goddess!" Forrest exclaimed causing both Ash and Misty's eyes to narrow. "He knows I'm not dead right?" Misty whispered into the raven haired boys ear.

"Think you may have hit him on the head just a bit to hard Misty" Ash replied as he heard more of Forrest's declarations of undying love for the Kalos Queen before trudging over towards both his girlfriend and the Pewter City Gym Leader.

"And no man is fit for a goddess like you!" Forrest proclaimed as he took Serena's hands in his own. "They are so soft, I wonder what else is so-" He said until Ash walked over and grabbed him by his ear and dragged him away from the very confused and embarrassed Pokemon Performer.

"She's taken lover boy" Ash growled causing both Misty and Serena to giggle at his statement. "Is Brock home?" Ash asked in a tone that frankly scared the absolute crap out of Forrest causing him to nod without a sound before rushing into the house. The trio all the sudden heard from inside of the house "Brock you have some visitors…and one of them may be a zombie!" This statement was all it took for the trio to break out into hysterical laughter. Moments later another boy appeared at the door who was remarkably similar to Forrest except the fact that this boy was much taller and had a pair of brown cargo pants on along with an orange undershirt covered up by a brown jacket. Tied to his waist however was an apron much to Serena's confusion but was pulled out of her thoughts when the tall man said in a shaken voice "A-Ash is that you?"

* * *

"Latias! Latios! Where are you?" Bianca yelled cheerfully. Both granddaughter and grandfather had arrived at the secret garden and as always it was flourishing with life. Flowers had blossomed, the leave on the trees were green, everything was just absolutely breathtaking. The sudden chirping noise caught the attention of Bianca as a red dragon flew up to her and tackled her to the ground. A blue dragon seemingly appeared out of nowhere and was shaking his head as if it was disappointed.

"Well hello to you too" Bianca giggled as she pet Latias on the head. The sound of thunder clouds was heard as the cheerful sun that was in the garden seemingly dissipated only to be replaced by rain. Something was very very wrong. She turned to face her grandfather who had a worried look of his own.

"This isn't possible!" Lorenzo exclaimed loudly. Climate changes never occurred in the secret garden. It was always sunny during the day and dark during the night so why was it raining? Bianca frantically turned to Latios and Latias and said "We need to get you two out of here right now!" The two dragons nodded their heads but a shriek escaped from Latios as he fell to the ground. He had been struck down by a pin missile, a but type attack that was super effective against a psychic type Pokemon. Latias c

cried out in worry as she rushed over to her fallen brother only for the red dragon to be hit by the same attack thus sending it crashing to the ground. She turned and found her grandfather out cold and then a voice could be heard.

"Ariados use string shot!" The voice said as silky string suddenly came from one of the trees and engulfed the two eon dragons in a silky restraints. A woman walked into Bianca's line of sight and was followed by a Drapion and a Ariados.

"Who are you?!" Bianca demanded angrily though her tone had a slight hint of fear as well. She however received no answer and the only words spoken were "Drapion use cross poison" With that the large scorpion like Pokemon charged towards the two fallen dragons and sliced both of them with a powerful poison attack that resulted in a painful shriek from the two.

"Stop you're hurting them!" Bianca screamed as she felt a soft and sticky piece of string hit her cheek. She turned around and saw that Latios had broken free from the string shot and was now fighting Drapion. "Latios use Luster Purge" Bianca screamed and despite the fact that she was not a Pokemon trainer, must less one of Latios, the blue dragons obeyed her command and before it could unleash its devastating attack upon Drapion Latios was hit by a powerful hyper beam. Bianca fearfully turned around and saw a Salamance growling at the dragons.

"Enough is enough! You have no reason to hurt them! Enough is enough!" Bianca screeched prompting the woman to laugh sinisterly. "You're right; enough is enough" with that the silver haired girl began to walk towards the fallen dragons only for Bianca to stand in her path. The woman smirked before knocking the girl aside before raising a gun like device attached to her shoulder.

"Nobody is allowed to get in the way of Hunter J" she said before a beam of light hit both dragons and they were slowly turned into stone prompting Bianca to collapse to her knees with tears in her eyes. "N-No" Bianca whispered as Hunter J walked over to her. With an emotionless look on her face she kicked her in the face thus blackness ensued and the realm of the unconscious greeted Bianca with open arms.

* * *

"So that's where you were" Brock said calmly as he approached his friends who were currently sitting outside near a tree. In his hands he carried a tray which held four glasses of water and a bottle of ketchup He handed each of his friends a glass before walking over to Pikachu who was sitting on a swing on the tree the bottle of ketchup earning himself a cheerful squeal of delight. As soon as Pikachu ripped the cap off of the battle and began to inhale its contents Brock made his way over to the trio who arrived at his door about 15 minutes ago. Each one of them sat on the ground with their backs against a tree with Ash on the opposite side of Serena and Brock on the other side of Misty. The four sat in silence simply enjoying the towns healthy atmosphere which was absent when the trio was previously in Cerulean City.

"So you left because of training right?" Misty asked curiously as she felt her bag wiggle causing her to smile. "It's ok Azurill" Misty said softy as she pulled out the her Azurill, the offspring of Tracey Sketchit's Marill.

"Azurill! Azurill rill!" The small blue Pokemon cheered as it hopped up onto her trainer or in this case mothers lap. Misty giggled as she gave the baby Pokemon a tight hug. Her attention on Azurill was once again shifted to her friend who had been missing for a very long time.

"Yeah…training" Ash said halfheartedly as he shot Pikachu a nervous look to which the yellow mouse returned it. "After losing in the Kalos League I decided I needed to get rid of all…distractions…" He said hesitantly knowing that his choice of words may hurt the people he cared for the most.

"Like what Ash?" Misty asked with a tone that hinted at a slight bit of anger had began to boil within the orange haired girl.

"Just things I guess. I needed to do it alone" Ash replied. "My entire life I've relied on people to help me; without Brock I wouldn't be able to cook meals for myself for example. I needed to see how far my training and past experiences had come" He said with a nervous chuckle.

"Must have done a lot of that training didn't you Ash" Brock said in an odd tone. This tone had a message meant for the raven haired boy to which he did receive and luckily the two females did not.

"I-I guess" Ash stuttered nervously causing both females to notice his sudden nervousness. "I mean I trained all of my Pokemon after all" He said after regaining his composure thanks to the sip of water he took.

"All of them Ash?" Brock asked in the same odd tone causing Ash to become slightly agitated. Why did Brock have to be so perceptive?

"You bet! I got the old gang together; from Primape to Goodra" Ash said as he felt steam to come out of his ears. He was not liking where this was going so he decided to change the topic. "What about you Brock? Are you finally a Pokemon Doctor?' Ash asked.

"Well I did but I am much more interested in what you have accomplished recently" Brock said causing Ash to groan causing Serena and Misty to giggle at Ash's actions though completely unaware at what Brock had been hinting at. Ash gave a sigh of relief believing that his stress would now end but sadly he could not have been more wrong. Brock had decided to change the subject to something which resulted in Ash's cheeks to boil.

"What ever happened to that girl you liked Ash?" Brock asked curiously and the ominous tone was noticibly absent now much to Ash's momentary relief.

"What girl?" Ash asked.

"You're now that Serena girl" Brock said and though Ash was unable to see the Pokemon Breeder he knew by sheer instinct that there was a cocky smirk cast upon his face. "I-I don't know what you're talking about Brock!" Ash said hastily before making a remark on how the weather had suddenly become much warmer.

"Of course you do Ash". Brock said in a playful matter. "Serena? That girl you talked to me about for hours just rambling about what you liked about her. Remember you said that you loved her hair and that she was an amazing Pokemon Performer and that you all the times you confessed you had stared at her when she wasn't looking and to how-"

"I think that's enough Brock!" Ash exclaimed thus cutting off his friend and caused both Misty and Serena to try their hardest to resist the urge to laugh.

"Oh this one takes the cake though" Brock said confidently. "I remember how you told me that if you won the Kalos League you would-"

"She's right here Brock!" Ash yelled angrily seemingly knowing exactly what his friend was going to say but was met only by a sudden outburst in the form of laughter. The laugher of course came from Serena and Misty who both were clueless as to what Brock was about to say. Ash groaned and placed his face in his hands feeling embarrassed beyond belief. He stood up and grabbed Brock by the ear and said through gritted teeth "Brock a word please" and with that he dragged the Pokemon Doctor away leaving both girl laughing hysterically.

* * *

"_Master" _

_"Lucario what is the matter?" Sir Aaron asked upon noticing the discomfort in his words. Lucario knelt down in front of the legendary aura guardian before saying "There has been another disturbance in the balance of nature"_

_"Are you sure?" Sir Aaron asked before he shut his eyes and his body began to glow blue as the power of aura filled his veins. He raised his hand into the air and a blue light engulfed his hand before he made a fist and the light disappeared. Though his eyes were shut a series of images appeared and passed by as if he was fast forwarding through a movie. The of Pokemon being captured by humans around the globe meant absolutely nothing to him as he was searching for certain types of Pokemon. _

_Legendary Pokemon_

_And Sir Aaron found many in a matter of seconds and a tear randomly slid down his cheeks, the tears were not his own but the pain that the Pokemon felt. He saw the nightmare Pokemon Darkrai being restricted by Ekans; the all mighty Regice suspended in the air due the an Alakazam using its psychic attack; and many more but all of these captured Pokemon had something in common. They all were turned to stone by an odd woman. _

_"Master?" Lucario asked noticing his master beginning to lose control. "Master!" Lucario yelled causing Sir Aaron's visions to vanish and for the blue light to disappear instantly. Sir Aaron collapsed to his knees with a distraught look upon his face. Lucario rushed over to the aura guardian before exclaiming "Master what were you thinking?! You don't have enough aura to do these things anymore!" _

_"They are hurting Lucario; the legendary Pokemon; they are hurting" Sir Aaron said sadly. With a grunt Sir Aaron pulled himself up to his wobbly feet before saying "We need to find the Chosen One at a much quicker rate than we originally anticipated…" Sir Aaron shut his eyes and felt that his clock was beginning to grow closer and closer to the point where he would no longer be any help of the new guardian and time was of the essence. _

_"Lucario we need to hurry"_

* * *

**Well I planned on writing more but after reading so many stories with cliffhangers I decided to be a total dick and kind of leave everyone on a limb…or at least I think how that's how you say it. Anyways it seems that Latias and Latios have been captured and added to the collection of Lawrence III (Come on, he was obviously her brother)! How will Ash and his friends free them? More importantly why did Ash want to speak to Brock alone? To find the answer you may want to re-read a few chapters. Also people have been asking for tips on writing and my inbox is getting spammed! (Not complaining though) Anyways if someone wants to ask for advice then simply drop a review because personally that would be much easier seeing as how some of the requests are the same. Look at me I sound like a…I don't know but it is something! Also I'm kind of frustrated with myself, I keep trying to add the part where we find out what Ash is going to day because I am not going to have them just sitting there doing nothing for half the story. This story started out very fluffy which was what I intended and I'm trying to incorporate where his next quest will take him and I already know what it will be but I just haven't found the right moment to bring it up! I guess it may ok to give a few hints...**

**It is in the Johto Region and not take place in the location it was introduced in during the early days of Gen IV. There are about five challenges and it is something Ash has already done but in a different region. Also this activity was something that was introduced in a generation prior to IV meaning this thing either came from gen 1 (Red, Blue, Yellow and their remakes), gen II (Silver, Gold, crystal, though it is only available in their and their remakes...) or gen III (Sapphire, Ruby, Emerald. It is not included in the remakes but it is teased that it may arrive if there is a third installment such as how Pokemon Emerald was) This sounds confusing but if you played the games then it actually is quite obvious. This activity was also used in the Pokemon Anime during a certain season...**

**Ok but just to answer some people's questions; probably the number one thing I recommend when writing is to listen to music! I find it really helps set the mood, if you are writing a scene that's supposed to be meaningful listen to pretty music such as pianos or something, with battles something rebellious or not slow. If you are doing well…you get the point but what I found is that when I listen to music I strongly recommend not listening to music with lyrics because it just kind of distracts me. I only really listen to non vocal stuff whenever I write but aside from writing I never really listen to any of that stuff. All American Rejects and Three Days Grace FTW! Well there are a lot of others too haha…anyways I hope you enjoyed and I'll see you guys next time! If there is anything you hope to see in the near future then let me know and who knows maybe…just maybe…you may see it happen :) BYE!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hi guys it's me again and before we begin I have a lot to talk about but we need to start with the issue at hand. Schools out and I'm on summer break so like last time updates are going to be a bit quirky. I'm going to me juggling going tithe childcare which I have yet to do with taking PE over the summer via VLASC, writing this story, and lastly doing whatever I do. Also I guess I'm kind of sad…I lost a lot of friends this year so going into my next..meh screw it…my final year of high school it's gonna be pretty lonely especially if I don't have friends in my classes and to top it all off there as this girl..self explanatory. Anyways I will save the rest for later because I know some people have been dying (not literally of course) for an update so I give you that. Enjoy :)**

**Daily Quote: Never say goodbye. If you don't say goodbye then you aren't really gone, you just aren't here right now." Agent Carolina [Agent Texas/Alison indirectly] Red vs Blue**

* * *

"Brock what the hell was that?" Ash seethed as he dragged his long time friend away from their friends and into the former gym leaders home.

"You're one to talk Ash" Brock said calmly while giving the auburn eyed trainer a stern look. "You just left without a moments notice for four long years. Did you not think of anybody but yourself?!"

"That has nothing to do with you Brock" Ash snapped before staring daggers at his friend. "Well then who does then?" Brock asked rhetorically as an intense anger built up inside of the usually calm and level headed male. "Was it Misty? Clemmont? May? Dawn? Gary? Was it Serena?"

"You shut up!" Ash yelled angrily causing Brock to take a few steps back. "You don't know how I felt that night! The pain and hurt I endured after that battle was more than you could comprehend"

"Then then why don't you give me some insight then!" Brock exclaimed as his hands balled up into fists due to the frustration that was mutually shared between the raven haired boy and himself.

"I was so close Brock! I was so fucking close!" Ash bellowed causing Brock to take yet another step back in shock due to Ash's vulgar language. "I had it Brock; I had it in the palm of my hand and…and…and I-"

"And you lost" Brock said calmly giving his friend a soft look only for Ash to growl. "You think that's why this is about? The Pokemon League?" Ash asked furiously before moving his hands to his head and tightly grabbed strains of his hair before angrily replying "It wasn't about that! It was about her!" And a delusional look took place on the boy's face as he ripped his hands away from his head so that his palms faced the ceiling from the sides of his body.

"Ash?" Brock asked cautiously after realizing how badly Ash had derailed. "I had it man" Ash said as his emotions quickly began to bounce back and force between anger and depression. "I had her right then and there Brock. I had her hand in my own and I choked! Not just the Pokemon League but her as well! I may have lost the League but I somehow managed to muster the courage to tell her anyways but I choked! And you know what the worse part is? Well do you Brock? Do you?!" Ash yelled angrily before his angry expression had slowly crippled into a distraught one instead.

"She loved another guy Brock" Ash whispered sadly before collapsing to his knees and a gasp from Brock. "She…she told me right then and there man. Right when I was about to tell her she ruined everything!" Ash bellowed and with each word he stool a step closer until Brock found himself leaning against the wall with Ash several feet in front of him.

"She shows up Brock and she ruined everything! She tells me she came to find me for advice wether or not to say yes to a request from that scumbag that beat me to be his girlfriend!" This simple but shouted phrase was all it took for the breeders body to seemingly go limp and slide down the wall as if his legs had become jello.

"She…she didn't…" Brock whispered in shock.

"Well she did Brock" Ash said in a broken time as he fell to the wooden floor. "She told me that she liked…two guys…Calem and some mystery boy and I told her…I told her to follow her heart and do you know what she said Brock? Do you know what she said?!"

"No Ash…I don't" Brock replied softly finally realizing the utter turmoil that had been lock away inside of his friend all this time.

"She said that she wanted to be his boyfriend…that she…loved him…and I left Brock. I hightailed the fuck out of Kalos and away from her…it was because of her Brock! It was because of-of her!" Ash said before clutching his head and breaking down into tears but Brock found himself unable to respond. All he could hear coming from his friend between choked sobs were the repeated phrases "It was her"

"So that's why you wanted me to stay quiet" Brock mumbled before placing his hand on the raven haired boys back. "Just let it all out Ash; just let it all out"

* * *

"Wonder what Ash was so upset about" Misty said out loud only for Serena to not respond at all. "Serena?" Misty asked as she pick up Azurill and held him in her arms before walking over to the honey haired performer. "Serena is everything ok?" Misty asked as Serena simply stared off into space.

"What just happened Misty?" Serena asked causing the orange haired girl to give her an odd glance.

"What do you mean?" Misty asked.

"Why did Ash act like that so suddenly? All angry and what not?" Serena asked without giving Misty any hint as to what she was talking about.

"Maybe he was just…nervous" Misty said half heartedly. She knew the real reason for her friends behavior, she had shared a similar conversation with the raven haired boy about his feelings about Serena and what would happen after the Kalos League. After his disappearance it didn't take a lot for Misty to figure out why Ash had left. The answer was so plain and simple that no one had noticed: Serena; she was the reason he has left but she couldn't just tell her that her boyfriend had fled for years because of her.

"That's what I thought too but…it just seems a little…weird…as if I'm missing a piece of a puzzle…you don't think he is hiding anything do you?" Serena asked softly.

"Everybody has their secrets Serena" Misty said emotionlessly before turning her back to the honey haired girl. "If you want to know so badly then ask him" with that Misty departed into the house as well but the sound that escaped the home after she opened the door alerted not only her but Serena as well. The sound of hysterical crying. Serena bolted up from her spot near the tree and ran across the yard towards Misty and both sprinted into the kitchen to find Ash breaking down on the floor.

"Ash!" Serena screamer before running over to her life long crush and now her current boyfriend before wiping him around so that his lifeless eyes stared into the blue orbs of her own.

"Ash? What's wrong?" Serena asked cautiously only for her to feel the boy from Pallet Town to give her a tight embrace and to continue sobbing on her shoulder. Serena couldn't believe that Ash had become so distraught in a matter of minutes. Sure she heard some yelling from outside though it was not enough to make out what the two had been saying it was enough to apparently to deeply hurt Ash. She stared at her boyfriend only for him to slowly place his lips against her own and for whatever the reason she could have swore that she heard words not of her own but of Ash's in her mind saying the phrase

_Don't hurt me again_

* * *

**Well guys I'm sorry this chapter was shorter than usual; frankly it is the shortest in the story. In case you're new I have a lot of trouble writing at home rather than at school and to be honest I'm just…I'm scared for my final year of high school; I mean I was always cryptic about my grade in the past but come on it was pretty easy to figure it out. I'm just some naïve kid with no experience with the outside world, the real world. I wouldn't call myself depressed as much as being a bit dramatic but junior year was my best year of school ever! I just wish I could go back and give myself the confidence to tell this girl..meh that's just the icing on the cake. I made aot of hard decisions this year about who I should associate myself with and in turn lost some people I deemed…undesirable. Not saying they did anything illegal! I only being that up because I talked about this with a friend and they asked the same thing. God I sound like such a…God remember what I said earlier? About crying? Pretty pathetic for a kid to cry over school..right? Ok know what let's turn this pity party into something happy. Firwt I want to say that anger scene with Ash was inspired by non other than the good cop who turned bad Shane of the Waking dead. Lastly I wanna give a VERY special shout out to a user named "Pokemonfanfictionmaster" who is writing a wonderful story and I HIGHLY recommend to check it out, it's his first story so don't give him any hate just encouragement^_^ It may seem…slightly familiar but remember that whole plagiarism this I talked about back a few months ago with Farla? Hey this guy used an idea he read about and he enjoys it and is putting out original content so that's all that matters. Hit me hard Conrad! That's something Russians say I think. Anyways cahoots to you man and keep up the good work and expect me to check in on you :) R&amp;R guys! And seriously guys, check this guy out cause he would appreciate it and he is totally awesome and supportive of me so why not give him a little bit back! **


	18. Apology

**Hey guys I'm back; pretty quick right? Enough with the sarcasm. It sure has been awhile hasn't it? Couple of weeks maybe(?). I'm sorry I have taken so long to update and what not. I could blame it on writers block (there was none), I could blame it on video games, I could blame it on helping others with stories, heck I could probably blame it on the child care but no. I need to apologize. I'm not going to sugar coat it or make excuses but I'm sorry. I'm sorry for the delay. I'm sorry for taking so long. I'm sorry for ignoring the wishes of others. It's just…this is the very last summer vacation I will ever have cause I'm going to be a senior in high school. There isn't a whole lot of time left for me to be a "kid". I mean I've been juggling between writing this story, stress of my final year of high school, just playing video games and hanging out with friends, heck even my job! Oh by the way because I "volunteer" more than 10 hours a week at the child care I'm considered an employee ^_^ I'm probably being a lot harder on myself than I should be but…I let a lot of people down by not writing lately and I'm upset with myself. Hopefully you guys understand and we can get past this. Remember how I said no excuses? Time to make one. Remember I have trouble writing at home. YUPP I just had to be that guy haha…anyways I could bring up all the ups and downs I've had lately but you all have been waiting for this so…enjoy everyone :)**

**Daily Quote: "The man who moves the mountain began by carrying away small stones" – Confucius**

* * *

"What do you mean there's more than one?!" Ash exclaimed as he stood up in his cha

* * *

ir and slammed the palms of his hands onto the kitchen table. After his "breakdown" and being very vague with the details when talking to Serena; the group of four were back inside the Harrison household and for one raven haired trainer the news he had received from an old friend had made the blood rushing through his body freeze.

"That's right" Misty said casually as she took a bite of her sandwich which was made by non other than the best cook they had come to know. "Didn't you know?" She asked with a perplexed look on her face.

"Well how would I?" Ash exclaimed as he comically slumped back into his seat feeling a sudden rush of fatigue. "Why didn't Scott tell me?" He asked with an tone that sounded quite neutral though a minuscule amount of pain was present.

"How should I know?" Misty shrugged her shoulders before taking a bite of her sandwich, with a mischievous smile she said "Maybe he didn't think you would be cut out to defeat another Battle Frontier"

"Or maybe he didn't want Ash to defeat another one" Serena said with a smile. She knew that while teasing her childhood friend is all in all enjoyable but everybody has their limits. In her hands she held a cup of tea and before taking a sip of it she asked "So where exactly is this Battle Frontier?"

"It's in the Johto Region" Brock answered as he took a seat next to Ash. "I'm not trying to be rude when asking this but so you even know what a Battle Frontier is Serena?" He asked.

"Well…" She began until Ash interrupted her. "I believe that's a no Brocko" He said only for Serena to clear her frost causing him to look at his girlfriend oddly.

"The Battle Frontier is a challenge given to Pokemon trainers of a certain caliber. It is composed of seven facilities. The Battle Tower, The Battle Dome, The Battle Pyramid, The Battle Factory, The Battle Pike, The Battle Arena, and lastly The Battle Palace. It is owned by a battle enthusiast named Scott and upon being victorious in every facility you can become a Frontier Brain and have you own Battle facility built" Serena stated only to receive jaw dropped expressions from her friends. Feeling embarrassed; a small blush appeared on her cheeks before shyly glancing at the boy from Pallet Town and saying "I did my research…"

"Meh" Misty said before taking a bite out of her sandwich only to find it gone. She finished it without even realizing it. She shrug it off and said "Well Mrs. Ketchum for your information you couldn't be more wrong" Though Ash was oblivious to what Misty had hinted at, a certain girl from Vanville Town had found her cheeks become a scarlet shade of red in a matter of seconds. Serena tried to denying at Misty had said but found herself stumbling over her words and unable to form complete sentences causing the Cerulean City Gym Leader to chuckle. After growing tired of whatever Misty and Serena were doing, our clueless hero spoke up.

"What do you mean Misty?" Ash asked. He knew the facilities of the Battle Frontier so wouldn't they be the same if Scott still had legal custody of the establishment. Misty shook her head and said "Nope! There are brand new facilities!"

Deciding to jump in Brock added "Well with the exception of one Misty. The facilities consist of The Battle Ring, The Battle Chasm, The Battle Alley, The Battle Castle, The Battle Garden, The Battle Academy, and the final one is known simply as Skyscraper"

"You sure know your stuff Brock. Ash wasn't kidding when he said you were smart" Serena giggled causing Brock to rub the back of his head feeling slightly embarrassed.

"Thanks Serena" Brock said before a grim expression appeared on his face before directing his attention to the Pokemon Master in training. "Be wary of the Skyscraper Ash" This statement only confused Ash. "We can't help you there at all" He continued only to receive a hurt look from Ash summing up what else had to be said. "It's not that we don't want to but we are actually incapable. It is said that the Frontier Brain at Skyscraper has never lost a match before and nobody knows who he is"

"Well at least we know it's a he right?" Serena said hypothetically trying to be optimistic about the situation at hand. There was none until…

"Sounds like fun!" Ash said happily causing everyone to comically fall down.

"How can you be so…so…you!" Misty exclaimed after failing to come up with a logical statement.

"I mean it isn't like I've come this far for nothing. I can do this! Besides the bigger the challenge the more rewarding it will feel when I beat this guy!" Ash said confidently.

* * *

"_Master please!" Lucario pleaded as he knelt down next to the fallen Aura Guardian. The duo found themselves in the Ilex Forest in front of the old wooden shrine. Sir Arron had been unable to walk for hours after collapsing to his knees for some odd reason and now was in a comatose like state. Sir Aaron was now propped up against the Legendary Shrine as his body had a light blue glow._

_"Lucario-"_

_"Don't say it Master!" Lucario interrupted with tears in his eyes. He roughly grabbed one of his hands and said "Don't do this to me Master" _

_"Lucario…My time is-" Sir Aaron said between spasmodic coughing. "The clock has stopped ticking. I have to go back…back to where I belong" He whispered while the blue glow began to glow brighter. _

_"Master please! There has to be another way!" Lucario exclaimed but watched in abject horror as Sir Arron's legs slowly became invaded in a light blue crystal like stasis. "Master I can help you!"_

_"Lucario…" Sir Arron whispered as a tear slid down his cheeks. "We both knew that I…That I didn't have a lot of time left. I just hoped I could have met him" _

_"He is the reason you are like this Master!" Lucario said in a hysterical tone. "No Lucario…Stop saying these things" Sir Arron said as the crystals that were encasing his body slowly began to ascend up his body. _

"_Lucario…everything I've taught you…you must find the Chosen One…we can't let them have their way" Sir Arron whispered before saying "I have no regrets. I served a beautiful queen and got to live another life. I'm can now be reunited with her; Illene and our other friends and family. I got to meet you Lucario, I have something you can never imitate…having you as a friend" _

_"Master stop this! Don't leave me like this!" Lucario said as he gritted his teeth against one another. Suddenly Sir Arron's arm became limp and fell to the ground. "Master no!" Lucario sobbed._

_"Lucario I have but one final request" Sir Arron whispered as Lucario nodded his head. "You must find the only living Aura Guardian in the world right now. Go to New Bark Town and find-"_

_"But Sir he is but a mere child! No older than the chosen one himself" Lucario said._

_"Lucario…he is our only hope, I can no longer train Ash; we need him to help us. . Find the Black Swordsman…find Kirito…for everyone" With that Sir Arron's body became encased in the crystal like cocoon and gleamed brightly before shattering into a million pieces that flew away in the wind._

_Find the Black Swordsman…Find Kirito_

**It was short guys I know but it is really hard for me to write this. Hell I somehow managed to write this thing today while all the kids were taking naps! I cannot tell you how many times I have restarted this chapter but I was able to accomplish two of the many things I've been trying to do. We now know of Ash's next big journey and I was able to kill off Sir Aaron. So I already have all the Frontier Brains ready for the story and let's just say one of them is a real plot twist. To all those who have reviewed and asked me if I am ok I give you my thanks. I am fine I guess…I just don't know what fine is haha. Nah I'm fine but…I really have led you guys on and that is something I believe is not ok whatsoever! I'm just gonna say this now: don't expect another update this month. I may do a few but A) It's highly unlikely and B) They won't be long. I mean I love you guys and the content I put out to death but lately it's just been so hard. I mean I don't want to sound like I've been avoiding this but subconsciously I believe I have. For that everyone I am sorry. Before I leave though I want to make something very clear. I will NEVER abandon this fic or any Fic for that matter…except for that one I did abandon you know the advanceshipping one. I know how it feels to be pissed off and cheated which is why that will be the last thing I want to do to you guys. I feel like this sounds so weird, the outro and intro. Meh but hey, anyone know who Kirito is? Well I feel like people probably do and let's just say I have people from multiple franchises. I guess I could give a few spoilers as to which franchises will appear ^_^ Think of it as an apology. Do note that these are not all decided and some characters will only appear in flashbacks**.

**Sword Art Online**

**Red Vs Blue**

**RWBY**

**Destiny [It's an NPC at the tower that wears white robes]**

**Kingdom Hearts**

**Final Fantasy**

**Assassins Creed**

**The Tell Tale Games Walking Dead**


	19. Surprise Chapter :)

**Surprise surprise :) Surprised? Well yeah just one day after my apology in back ^_^ I'm going to say now I don't know how long this will be but I will see where my imagination takes me! I would like to thank everybody who showed concern for me through reviews and an ENORMOUS amount of messages in my inbox. Sorry I took so long to reply to them! Well I could talk about all the stuff that's happened since my little…absence…but meh no one cares right? I mean I got every exotic weapon in Destiny or how I have been doing but all in all nobody really cares right? Gosh I remember saying I felt used but damn! Well everyone you know the drill! Enjoy :)**

**Daily Quote:**_"**You... accept it? Heh! Don't make me laugh! It's time you learned what real hurt feels like!"**_** Roxas Kingdom Hearts**

* * *

"So this is really happening…huh?" Asked a brown haired woman from inside her cozy home in Pallet Town. Moments ago her son and three of his friends had arrived and not even before she could say hello her son tells her he is going away again. "You sure you can't just give it a few weeks?" Delia asked monotonously.

"Mrs. Ketch-" Brock said but realized his error and corrected himself. "Delia; I know it's hard to let your son go after only a matter of days since his disappearance but there is only one scheduled trip available to the Johto Region today and there isn't another one for another three months" He gave a sympathetic sigh when he looked at the disappointment cast upon the mother of the future Pokemon Master. He walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder and said "Don't forget that Ash is part of our family too"

"I know it's just…" Delia began in a hushed tone until Misty decided to voice her own feelings as well. "Ash may have disappeared but he did what he always does. He comes back" Misty added.

"But you are all children; none of you have a child of your own! You don't know how it feels to have your son just waltz away every time he comes home!" Delia cried as she bit her lip as if trying to hold in her frustrations.

"Mrs. Ketchum?" Serena asked as she walked over to the distraught mother.

"We've been over this Serena; call me Delia" She said softly. Delia tried to turn away but Serena stopped her. "He won't be alone this time. He has us so we will make sure he doesn't disappear or get hurt" Serena said soothingly.

"Yeah and if he does I'll have to knock all the stupid out of his head" Misty said teasingly only to receive a chuckle from Brock and Serena. Delia had nothing to say. Leaning against the wall was Ash Ketchum. He had his eyes shut tightly as if trying to fall asleep when being bothered by something frightening.

"But he is my world…" Delia said softly and something inside of her son snapped. Whatever it was caused Ash to casually walk over to his mother and ask "How long have you been holding this in?" Though everyone was confused by this Delia knew exactly what her son meant.

"It's been so long I don't remember; Johto maybe? Hoenn? It doesn't matter because it's all the same!" Delia exclaimed loudly. "Every time my son…every time he comes home…he doesn't even stay home for a week! A day or two after coming back what does he do?" Delay asked rhetorically. "Oh mom I know I just came home after who knows how long but I don't have time for you and I'm going back on another journey!" She said trying her best to mimic her son. She just put her head in her hands and whispered "I just don't want to lose my baby boy again" Everyone found themselves unable to speak as they watched the older woman break down into tears. Everyone felt bad; it wasn't every day an adult cried in front of someone. The one who was disturbed the most by her performance was Ash.

"What is it you are afraid of mom?" Ash asked curiously. At first she hesitated but Delia mustered up the courage and said "That my son won't come back from his journey…" Though everyone in the room gave her a sympathetic look Ash knew that there was more meaning behind those words. His friends didn't have the knowledge of his father like they did. Running away and going on a journey only to never return.

"That will never happen mom. I'm not going to leave like that" Ash said. His mother opened her mouth to speak but Ash interrupted her. "I'm not going to run away. I'm going to come back like I always do. You won't have to be alone"

Everyone in the room excluding Delia gave Ash an odd look. "What is that supposed to mean? Stop speaking in riddles!" Misty exclaimed only for the group to grow silent after hearing soft laughter. It came from Delia. What started as mere giggles had erupted into childish laughter. Wiping a tear away from her eye she said "Ok Ash…I can't watch you forever right? Just go and have fun"

"Thanks mom" Ash replied as Serena pulled out her guide book. "Ash if we are going to make it to the pier in time we have to go now!" She said. The group nodded and began to exit the house of Delia Ketchum until Ash was called by his mother again. He made a gesture telling his friends to go and wait for him as he approached his mother.

"Don't you go and disappear again Ash. I can't handle another heartbreak" Delia said softly as Ash gave her his famous toothy grin and said "Of course! I'd never leave you like dad did…I'll come back I promise" Delia simply nodded with tears in her eyes as her son turned around and walked out the door.

* * *

_Location Switch: Ecruteak City_

Legend has it that the two towers that resided in the town that has been known for its secrets and legends are that the Brass Tower and the Bell Tower were once home to the Legendary Pokemon Lugia and Ho-Oh. For years children of this city were told tales of these Pokemon and the tragedy that resulted in the destruction of one of these sacred icons.

These two towers, the Bell Tower and the Brass Tower; were built 700 years in the past. These two towers were created to foster friendship between people and Pokémon. This physical representation led many people, mostly ancestors of Ecruteak, to travel to the tops of these towers to commune with the legendary Pokémon residing there. The Bell Tower was homage to the legendary bird Ho-Oh. It was said that if any living being was to encounter this bird at any given point in their life's then for as long as that individual lived they would be filled with joy and happiness. The Brass Tower was home to the sober winged Lugia; the beast of the seas. It was said that these two Pokemon were the yin and the yang of this world and the duo were to maintain the balance of humanity and pokemon alike.

Fast forward 150 years; on this day came only death and despair. It was as if Arceus was casting judgment on not only the people of this world but Pokemon as well. Casualties instilled but the once great Brass Tower burned down in a mysterious fire, ignited by a bolt of lightning and put out by a sudden downpour. The now homeless Lugia fled the scene and daughter refuge in the Whirl Islands but during this time the destruction of the Brass Tower caused three nameless Pokémon to perish. Ho-Oh, fleeing from its perch atop the Bell Tower, granted the three fallen pokemon new life, making them into the legendary beasts before flying in search of a pure-hearted Trainer. The legendary bird had become sickened with humanity, believing that Hans were responsible for not only the destruction of its counterparts home but for the deaths of three innocent Pokemon.

The three events of the fire, the lightning bolt, raging blaze, and sudden downpour, are said to have some relation to the three beasts. These beasts have been named Entei, the Pokemon that represented the burning passion of ones heart. Raikou, the lighting will of ones being. Lastly there was Suicune; a pokemon that sought out and would only appear to those that possessed a pure heart. When atop the Bell Tower, the gathering of these three beasts would summon their savior, their creator; Ho-Oh. Now the gathering of the three is neigh and the world is slowly becoming unbalanced. The world as it is has already been shaken a bit recently. The Pokemon that have been representation of this world have seemingly disappeared as if they were being hunted. It was only a matter of time before something had to be done…

* * *

Deep beneath the ruins of the Bell Tower was a makeshift base of sorts. Bookshelves containing ancient text and scrolls lining the shelves. Stone tablets casually laying against what should have been moldy and degraded wood but instead was surprisingly fresh. Against one of the walls was a dart board that had many darts that had either made their target or had ended up missing and their sharp tips digging into the wooden walls while the others simply lay scattered on the ground. There was a dresser that was built into the wall containing an assortment of items varying from writing utensils, odd glowing crystals, and even small but very sharp knives. Hanging from the ceiling in the far left corner of the room was a worn down punching bag that was in need of replacement looking as if it had been used for years for vigorous training of some sort. Against the wall was a white board lined with multiple diagrams and attack strategies or even some sort of ancient texts that was attempted to be deciphered at one point writer in expo markers. There were no windows and throughout the room were cement pillars holding the room together. It was odd; no one would have expected that the old decaying tower Had a room burrowed beneath it built with fresh and strong wooden planks.

The room was lit by flickering candles that were hung on the walls as well as a dimly lit lamp dangling from the ceiling above a large round oak wood table with 13 stumps surrounding it. In these thirteen stumps sat nine people.

"So this is what remains of the thirteen" A man said. The man was dressed in white robes which was accompanied by a black hood. His face was covered by a gray mask with an odd hexagon like markings engraved into its plastic make up. The man was tall; very tall; he towered over the nine other young men and women in the room including himself. He spoke with a calm yet perplexed tone as the others in the room sat around the table silently.

The first to speak up was but a 15 year old girl with an optimistic and playful tone. This youthful girl had silver-eyes while accompanied by a black blouse which she donned. Her skirt had red trimmings, and to complete her outfit that was various shades of black and red was completed by none other than a red cloak. This girl had shoulder-length hair which as expected was black, with a reddish tint to skirt was held up by a black belt which was of course to be expected but finally there was a silver rose which held the belt in place, silver not black or red. Her hood was bound to her shirt by a pair cross-shaped pins.

"It isn't all that bad! I mean we still have each other" The black haired girl stated with a cheerful voice. The girl with dirty blonde hair who sat next to her simply face palmed and said "Just shut up Ruby"

"Hey!" Ruby pouted "Wouldn't hurt to try to be optimistic Molly" She snickered causing the blonde haired girl to grumble. The blonde haired girl Molly was wearing a pink sweatshirt with her hood pulled over her head. She wore a pair of black leggings and on her back was a grey backpack. Around her waist was an odd, decently sized pouch attached by two straps to a brown belt. Though the item inside said pouch was not fully visible but it was undoubtedly to big to fit inside as it had been folded and a mental handle with a black grip stuck out of it. Molly glared at Ruby and was trying to control her temper but it was not as easy as people made it out to be. Across the table a masculine voice said "She has a point Molly so chill out!"

Another girl said "Regret stop for the love of God" The girl had short, palish blue and swaying hair. Despite this she had a tuff of hair tied up on both sides of her forehead. Her indigo colored eyes simply stared daggers at Regret. Her wardrobe consisted of a desert colored military jacket accompanied by a set of bulletproof armor, a bit unnecessary in the opinion of her peers but she insisted that it could come in handy some day. She had a sandy shaded pair of combat boots and around her neck was a white muffler.

"Not you too Shinon" Regret said sadly. Regret had spiky blonde hair and had light chain mail like armor on. He had a short dark brown top with a white outline on that showed quite a bit of skin. He had a light brown belt with a silver skull in the middle lazily slipping down his waist holding up his puffy blue jeans. Around his neck was a red muffler. He had a pair of brown gauntlets from his elbow down. He stared at the blue haired girl and sighed.

"Yah come on Shinon" Ruby pleaded giving the older girl one of the most evil tools that young children and women had: the infamous puppy dog eyes. Shinon simply rolled her eyes and said "Not this time kiddo"

"Guys can we all calm down for a minute?" Asked a boy with dark red spiky hair.

The boy wore a blue headband and stitched into it was a mythical animal from Greek Mythology, Pegasus; an animal that was said to have ties to the son of Zeus Hercules. Oddly enough though; the winged horse that was stitched onto the headband was lacking a second wing and only a single wing had been sewed into the blue fabric. He had golden-brown eyes as well as what may be a broken nose but no one paid it any mind because a white bandage covered it. His outfit consisted of a blue short-sleeved jacket which had an orange shirt a layer below. On his hands were white and blue dyed gloves and wrapped around his neck was a white scarf. Around his waist was red and brown belt which went quite well with his black pants and navy colored sneakers.

"I'm with Gingka on this one" Ruby added along which Regret who simply nodded his head. The youngest out of the group of nine was more often than not ignored when it came to arguments during meetings. However she was able to prove her worth on the battlefield which never went unnoticed by her peers. Gingka threw the two a smile and said cheerfully "Thanks! You two are the best!"

"Can it pony boy" A female voice said from across the table. This insult did not go well with "pony boy" which caused the latter to frown and say "What's your problem Jane?" This Jane girl had dark brown hair and simply groaned. She had a dark purple(?) undershirt which was covered up by her unzipped dirty orange jacket. She had a pair of worn sneakers and very worn and torn blue pants. Jane turned to the light pink colored haired girl that sat next to Ruby. "Back me up on this Lilith" The pink haired girl, Lilith, said nothing and mumbled something softly.

"It's ok Lilith. No need to be so shy" Ruby said in a chipper tone causing the 16 year old girl to take a deep breath and say "I think we are all acting like children. We need to regroup and come up with a plan-"

"I agree with Lilith, nice one kiddo!" Regret said unintentionally interrupting her though to make up for it he gave her a thumbs up with a toothy grin resulting in Lilith blushing slightly. The sapphire eyed girl had always been the shyest out of the thirteen. She had a pair of black and white boots accompanied by black knee socks that went as far up as her kneecaps which were protected by a silver playing. Similar to Shinon, her bottoms consisted of very small black leather shorts. She had a pair pink gauntlets that were outlined in a gold tint which were accompanied by black fingerless gloves. Her pink hair was tied in a pony tail only for the remaining to split and cascade down a good portion of her back while her bangs poked out slightly and ran down her cheek. She had a white colored tank top on that had straps that went around her shoulders that was exposed by unzipped red jacket with a furry hood. On her gauntlets were two black sheathes which contained two very pointy silver bladed knives with the black gripped handles poking out. Around her waist was a red and pink mark; a mark is similar to that of a skirt though the lengthy fabric does not fully hoop around ones body, it simply was wrapped around the back of her waist (If you wanna get technical imagine a circle. They are 360 degrees and a mark is half of that so of the portion of the mark/skirt covering her behind is 180 degrees of a circle)

"We're children?" Molly asked sarcastically. "you guys aren't even the age of a high school graduate yet so don't tell us who are and are not children here!"

"Enough!" A voice exclaimed from beside the speaker. This man just so happened to be Ezio, the new and true strongest member of the thirteen after one of their male members…departed. He donned a white robe that went from his head to his feet. The upper body featured a hood, which was connected to said white robes, with the torso bearing an open collar. The lower part of the robes were doubly layered, with the back of the robes trailing down to be longer than the front. Around the "mvp's" waist was a long red sash with pouches attached to a brown belt. The belt also have more purposes but only time will tell if that is true or not. The robes also featured a leather spaulder where a cape was attached, drapinover and around his left arm as well as his shoulder.

"Thank you Ezio. Please take your seat" The Speaker said calmly to which the white robed man nodded his head and sat down. He turned to the others and said "The time for us to bicker like children remains no more. We are all what remain of the Guardians of Aura; tasked to protect the land by threats by human and Pokemon alike. I know many of you did not ask for this, it was a unanimous decision made eons ago by the first Guardians. At least one of the offspring of former Guardians must bare the fruit and join with us. Whenever siblings were accounted for such as Ruby's sister Yang, the one with the strongest amount of Aura would remain while the other was given the gift to live a normal life. Though the two were given life years apart so the two had to join by an unspoken law"

"Can we not talk about Yang please?" Ruby asked softly to which Ezio was about to ridicule the girl named after a gem until the hand of the Speaker rested on his shoulder.

"As you wish young one" The Speaker said to which Ruby have a small "Thank You"

"For the past 1000 years the power of Aura has been strong but in the past few centuries this power has slowly been fading away and now we are left with but a mere fragment of what once was the council. Many lives were lost during the battle of the Tree of Beginnings and now we must remember what we are and who we will be. We are the protectors of Aura, the guardians of nature, the keepers of the world. We cannot away from the code bestowed upon us children. Dark times approach and we are down four guardians. The boy who's will was once as strong a a red, hot, burning flame but he was broken and what remains is but dimly lit embers. The former top guardian who sacrificed his life to give life and revive another"

"Brother Riley…" Ezio mumbled under his breath.

"The girl in white with Orange brownish-chestnut colored hair who held a heart of gold and gave all of us the love we o so desperately needed; this love is what led to her ultimate demise as she was slain to protect the one she held closest to her heart, the one she had fallen for…and lastly the warrior who went rogue after the loss of another, the swordsman that would cross blades with another and always be the victor, the boy who's heart was split by the light and the dark inside his soul, the black swordsman who has exiled himself and must be retrieved like an infant to its mother"

"What did you expect? The boy was a ticking time bomb as it was; I say he is better forgotten rather than remain a bad memory" Molly grumbled causing a great many of teeth to clench and forehands furrow.

"Kirito was our brother Molly" Regret snapped angrily. "What gives you the right to say that about him!"

"He shared no blood with anyone in this room Regret. All he was was a boy who had to "bare the fruit" or whatever which led him to this dump!" Molly snarled.

"Enough!" The Speaker said loudly; his voice no longer that of a calm and collected leader but a furious one instead. "We will not act so foolishly! He was indeed our brother though he lacked the proper blood to ties him to anyone in this room but he bared the gift we all share. We need all the strength and trust we have for each other for the upcoming conflict and without that then…we will not prevail this time"

_We need the Chosen One_

* * *

Lucario walked down the streets of Goldenrod City ignoring the rain that splashed against his face. He took a turn into a dark alley following a trail of aura he had been using to track down his prey.

At long last he had found it

On the ground was a boy who's back was leaning against the brick wall of the alleyway. Though a dark look was cast upon the odd mans face Lucario could make out a pair of black eyes glaring at him as he approached the figure.

The boy's soaking wet clothes consisted of black pants with a black belt that had a large silver buckle, a black V-necked shirt that was located underneath his black trench-coat with gray lining going down the sleeves. Above his black boots, the boy's shins were protected by a pair of silver plates. There were silver plates worn on both the left and right sides of said cloak, and a pair of black fingerless gloves on his hands

The boy continued to glare emotionlessly at Lucario as if trying to intimidate the aura using Pokemon. His glare slowly evaporated and turned into an odd stare when he asked "What do you want?"

Without missing a beat Lucario asked the black haired boy in a gruff tone "Are you the black swordsman?" The boy's glare returned as he ripped his gaze away from the Jackle Pokemon and rudely replied "And what if I am?"

"I need the help of an Aura Guardian" Lucario said only for the boy to stand up and turn his back to Lucario and said "I don't know what you're talking about" before beginning to walk away only to feel something grab him by his wrist.

The boy turned around to find Lucario giving him a very lethal stare before asking again "Are you the Black Swordsman?" With that the boy yanked his wrist out of Lucario's grasp and leapt back a good yard or two before two bright lights in the shape of the letter X as two swords appeared in a flash of light. The light vanished and all that remained were mere particles of said light that flew away in the wind. The boy's right hand went behind his back before withdrawing a long black sword and took a battle stance.

"And what if I am?" The boy snapped angrily. A blue light began to emit from the blade as Lucario said in a low tone "We do not have to do this Kirito" but the boy ignored him before charging at him. The boy swung his sword towards Lucario's neck only for in the blink of an eye to be blocked by Lucario who had used Bone Rush. The boy jumped backwards and grit his teeth before exclaiming "What are you here to do huh?"

"I'll tell you as soon as you lower your weapon Kirito" Lucario said only for the boy to show no intent of backing down. The boy ran towards Lucario and swung his sword at Lucario only for the Pokemon gifted with the power of aura to parry the attack with ease. The boy continued to attack Lucario with each swing to increase in speed. As the two clashed the glow of the boy's sword only began to brighten more and more. With a mighty swing the boy managed to cleanly slice through the bone and sent Lucario reeling back.

"How many times do I have to beat you?" The boy growled at Lucario who slowly rose to his feet which seemed to only further anger him. "Why do you keep getting up? Why do you keep fighting? You can't beat me!" The boy said as his voice began to crack under stress.

"I'm not going back do you hear me! I will never go back with you!" The boy exclaimed before charging for what he believed would be the final time only to feel himself to be sent flying back into the brick wall by Lucario's aura sphere causing both of his swords to disappear into thin air. The boy though dazed by this attack, managed to look up as he saw blue smoke escape from Lucario's hand from what must have been the Aura Sphere attack. He watched as Lucario approached him and said "I don't care what your situation is with the Guardians Kirito, but I do know that I need your help"

"And why would I do that?" The boy sneered. "Why should I help you? Why should I help anyone? I'm always helping people!" He yelled angrily. "Oh Kirito do this! Oh Kirito do that! I don't feel like leaving the guild today so can you do my mission for me Kirito? Kirito we want you to do this!" The boy ranted on. "I never even got one day off when I was with those people. Not even one day!"

Lucario attempted to place his hand [paw(?)] on the distraught boy's shoulder only for it to be knocked away. "You won't take me back to them" The boy snapped. "They didn't even give me time off or any sympathy after she...after she...after..." The boy said as his voice began to falter and the anger he expressed to change to depression.

Lucario could only stare in pity at the rouge aura user. Here was the legendary Black Swordsman Kirito, the dancing blades of black and white, the dual wielding freelancer; on the ground sobbing. "I am not a Guardian Kirito. I am just a revived memory who carries the lingering of his master on his shoulders. Sir Aaron's will" This statement was enough to grab the boy's attention as he said "But he died eons ago; that can't be possible!"

"Anything is possible when it comes to the power of Aura young one" Lucario replied. The black haired boy suddenly asked "You said you needed my help right?" Lucario nodded his head and the black swordsman said "Time has taught us well. I've answered your question and now I will ask and you shall answer"

Lucario stared at the boy and with a grin said "Alright; shoot"

* * *

**Well guys I hoped your little present for my absence. Chapters will resume when school starts. Now let me explain a few things. The "thirteen" is a group of aura guardians that has been around for a VERY long time and the children of members had to serve as well. Currently there are nine members and are four. The members include:**

**The Speaker (Destiny)**

**Ezio Auditore (Assassins Creed II)**

**Molly (Telltale's The Walking Dead video game)**

**Jane (Telltale's The Walking Dead video game)**

**Ruby (Rooster Teeth's RWBY)**

**Lilith (an OC)**

**Gingka Hagane (Beyblade [Used to totally dig that shit])**

**Regret (Zenonia. Appearance based off of his blader avatar from Zenonia 4 which is available for free on the App Store…slick move of advertising Nexxus lol)**

**Shinon (Sword Art Online: Gun Game Online aka GGO)**

**Riley (Pokemon) Status: Deceased**

**Mystery Boy (We've met him in the story) Status: MIA and suffers from memory loss**

**Mystery Girl (Would say where she's from but truth be told it's kind of obvious) Status: Deceased…hmm…**

**Kirito (Sword Art Onlime) Status: Ex Aura Guardiam who went rogue after the death of a loved member.**

**Now with that said and done I would REALLY appreciate reviews and what not because doing the character description were unbelievably hard. I had to go do research, read biography's on Wikipedia (I've never had to do that for a story until now 0_0) The stuff I actually got from an article I had to reword desperately to avoid the plagiarism but also cause I would feel icky. Just copying and pasting that stuff Made me feel a bit unoriginal. Anyways I digress and I would love for people to comment on how I did when describing these characters. Did you like who I chose? Can you guys figure out who the two mystery figures are? Drop a comment (Well since this isn't youtube I should be saying a review hahaha) and let me know! Now before I forget I want to let everyone know that I am changing the thumbnail for this story. From the start I had planned on changing the outfits of Ash and Serena to that of two characters featured in a remake of two of the classic titles that started the Pokemon franchise. From the beginning I had planned on it and on the app I use VGA I came across a picture that showed EXACTLY how I pictured they would look. So the picture I upload later will become to new thumbnail that represents this story. Well I hope everyone enjoyed and as always I'll see you guys next time!**


	20. Chapter 20 (Sorry it's late!)

**Hey guys…if I wanted to insert nervous laughter I totally would but u decided not to. So school has started and senior year started last week and it certainly has become…interesting. My classes are ok and for once I guess but for whatever the reason after my third class (out of four) of the day, my mood just totally drops and people are starting to notice. It's so weird though but hey it's probably just some stupid phase that's a part of adolescence. So I don't know how I'm gonna write at school to an extent. So the…i dont know what to call the guy but let's just call him the computer guy; so he is in charge of all sorts of stuff and before I got the iPad back he had to update the firmware on it. So the next day I go to pick it up but he isn't there but he left it there for me with a sticky note on it. It said…one sec let me get it. Ok so I can't entirely make sense of what he wrote because I can't really read his hand writing but it says "Please do not stream[?] fanfiction unless it is for a class" So I have it back but I'm probably not gonna write on it all that much for now. I only wrote on it whenever I didn't have any work to do so the only thing I did that was not writing was replying to other people's messages and uploading the chapters so I'm just gonna do those two things at home. I'm really lucky I'm not in trouble but no one has really said anything about it so I don't know I guess? Anyways enough with all of that and sorry for the delay…was there actually one? Meh if you felt like there was one then I apologize and enjoy the chap! Oh yeah today we have a very special quote from a user on this website [I got special permission ^_^ ]**

**Daily quote:****All we wanted was to be the best, like noone ever was. **

**But then you turned your backs on us,**** You turned us into dust. **

**We will train and we will fight. **

**Our courage will take flight.**

**We'll fight the past, and won't look back!**

**We'll show you that we're not trash! **

**Pokemon! We will fight you all! It was you and me!**

**Pokemon! It was our destiny! **

**Pokemon! Oh, you were my friend! **

**In this world that we defend. **

**Pokemon! We will fight you all, all, all! **

**YEAH POKEMON!**

* * *

Far away out of any living beings was the setting sky; the beautiful colors that rained down upon the horizon would dazzle anybody. It gave off a shimmering orange glow as it slowly sank off in the distance. The nearby oceans rippling waves glimmered with a beautiful golden hue.

The pine trees providing shade to the untold amount of critters scattered afar. The white fluffy clouds were surrounded in an odd yellow glow. The shadows of bird Pokemon danced gracefully across the ground below. Though they flew in groups of their origin; the Pidgeot leading numerous Pidgeotto's and an abundant of other variants from across the world. One of these birds however flew alone and not close to any of these flocks whatsoever . This bird with the red tipped black crest that extended above its head was not wild like the others around it. The bird that hailed from the Sinnoh Region, the final evolved form of a tiny bird named Starly; a Staraptor. It flew along side a dark red train that was traveling at an alarming speed atop the elevated tracks that did not touch the ground.

The Magnet Train

It was said that it could take travelers from Saffron City to Goldenrod City and vice versa in a matter of hours. A normal Staraptor could not compete with a creation of modern engineering but this one, this one was different. Trained and raised with great love and care had turned it into what could be the strongest of its kind, though this is clearly in the opinion of its owner Ash Ketchum. Staraptor flew alongside a particular area of the train, along a window on the left side. Why this window in particular? The answer was simple.

It's master…no…a member of its family was inside staring at the bird with a proud smile resulting in Staraptor to shrill loudly and simply enjoy itself. Inside of the magnet train sat our four heroes who were on-route to Goldenrod City to begin Ash's next journey. Though he was currently the only one with a goal in mind, his friends Misty, Brock, and his girlfriend Serena, desired to find one of their own during this epic. The group sat in a booth without a table because clearly it was a train and not a restaurant. On one side sat Ash and Serena along with a very sleepy Pikachu that resided on the lap of the honey haired performer. Across from the sat two of Ash's greatest friends Brock and Misty; much like Serena, Misty had a Pokemon of her own sitting in her arms; the Azurill she had received from Tracey. All was well with the group…or at it was until…

"Are we there yet?"

"Oh my God Ash shut up!" Misty growled angrily as she glared at the cap wearing boy. "For the third and final time we won't be there until nightfall so please give it a rest!" She exclaimed only to feel a hand touch her shoulder. She looked at the dark skinned man next to him as he said "Mind you that this is the first time he's been on the Magnet Train Misty"

"Doesn't mean he should ask that question so many times" Misty pouted as she turned her head towards the window causing Brock to chuckle. The group all knew about Misty's short temper, even Serena! The only one who didn't show her any sign of agitation was the Azurill who was bouncing in Misty's lap with a large smile. Misty looked at the little ball of love and smiled before giving Azurill a tight hug.

"Hey guess it just goes to show you that water type Pokemon make Misty happy!" Serena said cheerfully only for Ash and Brock to widen their eyes and throw her a frighting glare. Serena stared at the two in confusion and asked "What?"

"What do you mean what?!" Misty seethed. "Azurill is not a water type Pokemon; it is a normal type!" She exclaimed causing the trio to sweat drop. Ash turned to his childhood friend and said "Guess we forgot to mention that Misty get very um…angry if someone thinks that something is a water type but in all actuality it-"

"I get it Ash" Serena said thusly interrupting her raven haired companion. She turned her head and stared at the raven like bird that she had the please to have a ride on only once. She smiled as she said softly "Ash" though clearly it wasn't as soft as she hoped seeing how the three other people around her heard this.

"Yes?" Ash asked causing Serena to jump a little. A blush formed on her cheeks when she saw the dark skinned man and her boyfriend smirking at her. "N-Nothing!" Serena stuttered nervously as she waved her arms about. When doing this however she managed to stir the yellow electric mouse causing it to look towards the honey blonde haired girl with a blank expression before yawning and going back to sleep. She sighed as she began to pet the very first Pokemon that a certain someone had when starting his adventure. Brock smiled at this before saying "It sure seems Pikachu likes Serena a lot don't you think Ash?"

"Well Brock it's like you said back in the day; Pokemon often reflect the feelings of their trainers" Ash said as he felt a warm hand grab his own and intertwine their fingers. With Ash's hand in her own, Serena gently placed her head onto Ash's shoulder and shut her eyes. "They sure do Ash…" Serena said softly as she got comfortable resulting in the reddening of the raven haired boy's cheeks. He still was getting used to this form of affection especially around other people. He squeezed her hand tightly as a smile formed on his own face.

"So Brock I have a question" Ash said as he turned his head towards the eldest of the group. "Have you actually ever truly been in love?" Brock nodded his head very quickly as hearts formed in his eyes. "I've loved many people! There's Nurse Joy, Officer Jenny-"

"That's not love dumb ass!" Misty exclaimed causing Brock to throw her a questioning glance. He turned to Ash and asked "What's she talking about Ash?" Ash gave a nervous smile and said "W-Well Brock do you actually know what love is?"

"Of course I do?" Brock commented as if he was asked a question. Misty just sighed and asked "Brock do you think you know what love is?" Brock opened his mouth to speak only for him not to utter a word. What did he know about love? Sure he professed his love for an untold amount of women during his travels but was that really what his friends called love?

"Well y-yeah but do you?" Brock asked trying to avoid being backed into a corner and deflect it onto his friends. Before anyone could even utter a word Serena jumped to the occasion.

"Love is…I can't explain what love is" Serena began. "Love is something that just happens; it is this warm and snugly feeling in your chest. You can't make love just happen like baking a cake; love is something that is unexpected and sometimes it's scary. When you are in love with someone you would sacrifice so much for them; it's like they are a part of you. Take a puzzle piece for instance; some puzzle pieces don't go together because they just don't work out right. When you have two pieces that fit together it is like they can't be separated even after they are back in the box. They can always find each other and fit together and create a whole new world for each other, the picture"

"Wow! That is so romantic!" Misty squealed with stars in her eyes. She turned towards her auburn eyed friend and said "You better not screw this one up Ash!" A deep red blush appeared on his cheeks as he attempted to retort her statement only to fumble with his words but luckily the Kalos Queen came to the rescue.

"He won't" She said as she felt someone's fingers running through her hair. It was enjoyable but her boyfriend wasn't exactly good at this yet as she felt her roots beginning to hurt. A sinister smile formed on her lips as she said "And if he does then you have my permission to smack him till he's dead with your mallet" Upon saying this she felt Ash almost immediately retreat from her soft and honey colored hair. She turned her head up and looked at her life long crush as he said "If you didn't like it then you could have just told me" Serena giggled at this knowing that he was referring to her hair.

"I know but what I did was more amusing" She said causing Brock and Misty to chuckle at the raven haired boy who at this point was suffering from far more than just embarrassment. Despite these events and feelings, Ash still was able to conjure up the courage up ask a question.

"Guy's let's get real here" Ash said monotonically as he gently removed Serena from his shoulder to which she gave him an angry glare. He turned his attention to the the entire group rather than just his now grouchy girlfriend. He leaned forward and asked "How much do we really know about the Johto Battle Frontier?"

"Well it's relatively new right? It opened up three years ago right?" Misty asked the group to which Brock nodded.

"This is totally different than the other one Ash; Scott isn't the owner" Brock said causing Ash to sigh sadly. "I was hoping I could see him again" Ash added to which Brock nodded his head in agreement.

"This Battle Frontier is spread throughout the entire Johto Region much like the other facilities you challenged in the past and no one has been able to collect all the symbols yet…but someone did come close though but he was defeated by the Frontier Brain of the Battle Skyscraper. The challenger has a team of pseudo legendaries but he couldn't even get a single move in" Brock said in a serious tone.

"A team of some of the strongest Pokemon a trainer can catch were defeated by a Maginium" Misty added causing Serena to tilt her head. "What's a Maginium?" Serena asked curiously to which Ash responded with "It's the final evolved form of the grass type starter Pokemon of Johto Chikorita"

"And Ash had a Chikorita but it evolved into a Bayleaf" Brock said trying to help Serena understand what kind of Pokemon they were talking about. He ran his fingers throughout dark brown hair before saying "The closest one from Goldenrod City is the Battle Academy which is in Violet City"

"Battle Academy…huh" Ash said softly as his eyes suddenly found the floor beneath him very interesting. Thoughts and fears flew through his mind; could he do it? Who was the mystery Frontier Brain of the Battle Skyscraper? Was he ready? He shook these concerns aside and decided to focus on the present which was traveling with some of his closest friends on yet another adventure. Lost in thought, he hadn't even noticed Serena poking his shoulder.

"Ash? Is everything ok?" Serena asked with a concerned tone as she stopped poking her boyfriend. He sighed loudly before sitting back up and leaning his back against the seat. He turned to the Kalos Queen and said with warm smile "I'm just thinking about what's gonna happen during our journey that's all"

"Who knows?" Serena asked rhetorically with a giddy look on her face. "Maybe Team Rocket will try to take Pikachu again" this simple phrase was all it took to cause the small group to erupt into laugher. The dastardly trio of villainous…well more like misguided fools who had yet to successfully to take away his beloved partner; however they had caused quite a bit of trouble during his travels. Ash turned to the window and watched as the night sky began to cloud their field of vision. He contemplated on returning the raven like Pokemon back to its ball but decided to let it enjoy itself for the night. The lights inside the train suddenly dimmed and the group looked at each other with smiles on their faces and simultaneously said goodnight. The first to fall asleep was of course non other than Ash who was the followed by the famous water type Gym Leader Misty, then the dark skinned doctor Brock, but the current Kalos League, Serena, did not feel the slightest bit of fatigue.

Turning to the raven haired boy next to her she whispered into his ear "Ash, You awake?" When she received no answer she assumed her boyfriend had wandered into the land of sleep…until she felt his move and sit up. The auburn eyed boy turned to Serena and said with a coy smile "I guess so. Do you need something?"

"No I just wanted to make sure that's all" Serena replied softly and smiled before placing her head on Ash's shoulder. She wrapped her arms around his own and said with a child like smile she whispered "I love you so much Ash Ketchum"

"I know you do Serena" Ash replied as he placed his lips on her cheek for a brief moment before retreating into a comfortable position but Serena wanted more; she wanted the affection she sought from her boyfriend and was determined to get it. She placed her hands on the raven haired boy's cheeks and turned his head towards her own and leaned in slowly. Their heads just millimeters away from each other and both were breathing the same air at a synchronized rate.

"You can't even begin to fathom how much you mean to me Ash…" Serena whispered before closing the gap between the two as their lips met. A surge of excitement courses through their veins as they moved their lips together in a synchronized fashion. At this moment Ash decided that maybe starting a new journey wouldn't be so hard after all. He had someone that he cared deeply for, more than himself for that matter. Ash and Serena both shared one sky, one dream, one destiny. He had avoided her for so long, hiding in the shadows but now he didn't have to; Serena loved him and he couldn't ask for any more. Not realizing how long they had been kissing which had surprisingly been a matter of minutes, they withdrew their lips from their partners and stared into the others eyes. Looking into Serena's eyes Ash said "I love you so much Serena…I'm so glad I came back" After feeling her lips press against his own he decided to go with the feeling and the two sat together in the same seat, on the same train, sharing the mutual feeling known as love.

* * *

**So guys what did you think? I kind of wanted to add something at the end but I can just do it at the start of the next chappy. I hope you all enjoyed the amourshippy moments :) R&amp;R guys**


	21. Chapter 21

***Peeks head through door* H-hey guys…been awhile hasn't it? A three months…let's just say school has me tied up but I hoped this quarter I could update again but sadly I think next semester will be when frequent updates are back. I'll try my hardest to update when I can but I'm not exactly doing to well.**

**The reasons for my absence? There's school, slight authors block, got rejected by a girl I was friends with for a super long time, Xbox eh...yeah, mid life crisis, anxiety, depression...it's gotten really bad, high school drama, and stereotypical teenage guy stuff.**

**Oh yeah another fear is well...three of my friends found out I write fanfiction! Yeah...Two of my friends from school (one being the girl that rejected me) and another person who I am eh...just met her but gotta say she's pretty cute-wait shit! Nah she wouldn't read this anyways. Last thing I want is for people to find out; I may be super confident behind a screen but around people I'm barely know or am nervous around I'll say the most random shit without thinking :|**

**Anyways now that I've ranted a bit let's continue! So looks like we had quite a bit of SatoSere last chappy didn't we? Pretty good if I do say so myself. However this chapter is one I have been looking forward too; it has to do with the new cover image. Sorry the chapter is short, lately they have been getting shorter and shorter but I'm trying really hard and I hope you guys know that!**

**Enjoy :)**

_**Daily Quote: "Listen only to the sound of my voice. Let your mind relax. Let your thoughts drift. Let the bad memories fade. Let peace be upon you. Surrender yourself to your dreams. Let them wash over you like the gentle waves of the bluest ocean. Let them envelop you. Comfort you.**_

_**Imagine somewhere calm. Imagine somewhere safe. Imagine yourself in a frozen forest. You're standing in a clearing. Trees around you so tall, they touch the sky. Pure white snowflakes fall all around you. You feel them melt on your skin. You are not cold. It cannot overcome the warmth of your beating heart. Can you hear it? You only have to listen.**_

_**You hear it slowing? Your slowing. You are in control. Calm. At peace.**_

_**Imagine yourself in a frozen forest" –Corvox; Call of Duty: Black Ops 3**_

* * *

"So how do I look?" Serena asked with a nervous tone. The group of four had arrived in the Johto Region and we're currently at the Pokemon Center but much to their amazement there were two packages waiting Ash and Serena. One from Pallet Town and the other from the far away Vaniville Town; they were from their moms. What were these exactly? Serena took a deep breath as she walked into the lobby of the Pokemon Center and approached Misty and Brock.

"Well guys how do I look?" Serena asked as she did a twirl to show off her new outfit; her cherry attitude and confidence however was nothing but a façade. She was anxious about what her friends thought about her new appearance. She had shed her previous clothing for a new look. She now wore a white shaped hat with a red stripe along a semi circular line on it. A blue and black tank top now taking the black of her previous attire along with a red skirt. Now wearing a pair of blue socks accompanied by a pair of red, white, and pink sneakers. Grabbing the sides of her skirt she took a bow and threw her friends a nervous smile.

"Wow you look great Serena!" Misty complimented causing the Kalos Queen to blush. Brock nodded his head in agreement and said "It certainly suits you" Serena could only look at the ground with a beet red face. Sure her friends liked it and that was all and well but she really cared about only one opinion that would come from the Pokemon Master in training.

"You think he will l-like it?" Serena stammered nervously as she played with her fingers. While she hoped to receive a comforting answer she received none which frankly frightened her. Did they think Ash would not like it? She noticed Brock chuckle and said "Well why don't you ask the man yourself?" Originally confused Serena quickly understood what the Pokemon Doctor was referring to. She almost immediately turned around and watched as Ash came down the stairs and approached the group with his faithful partner on his shoulder. A blush came to her face as she stared into his auburn eyes and at the total makeover Ash had received.

The raven haired boy now had a red cap on his head with the traditional white pokeball stitched in as all of his other League caps before. The confident smirk on his face was evident as he approached his friends. Wearing a short sleeve black t-shirt underneath his sleeveless red jacket, it had a white collar with two white stripes that hugged the zipper. His fingerless black and red gloves tightly hugging his skin accompanied the pair of teal jeans. Now wearing red, white, and black sneakers he put his hands to his sides and with a coy smile said "Well guys, how do I look?"

"Looking sharp Ketchum" Misty said teasingly causing Ash to nervously scratch his cheek.

"Thanks I guess" Ash replied. He bit his lip feeling a sudden wave of anxiety over take him though he had absolutely no clue where it came from or why. A smirk formed on his lips as he cheekily said "I really only care about the opinion of one person in particular" Serena felt herself blush and Misty looked like she was about to slap the taste out of Ash.

'He only cares about my opinion?' Serena thought to herself with a small smile. "I think-" Serena began only for Ash to interrupt her.

"So what do you say Pikachu? Think I'm lookin' good?" He asked the yellow mouse who had scampered up and now was on top of his cap.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu exclaimed as he extended his arm and made a peace sign which in turn caused Brock to comically fall to the ground, Misty to face palm, and for Serena to sweat drop. It made sense though, when it came to girls and Pokemon Ash's choice would always be Pokemon.

"That's all I need to hear!" Ash exclaimed as he rushed out the door enthusiastically leaving his three friends back in the lobby. Serena felt her mood dip down when the boy from Pallet Town had ran away. Her crestfallen face did not go unnoticed by Misty and Brock.

"What's wrong Serena?" Misty asked curiously who was as clueless as Brock.

"I spent so much time trying to make myself look presentable but he just flat out ignored me…" Serena said sadly. "I didn't even get to ask him how I looked; much less my opinion on how he looked with his new outfit! He didn't even compliment me…"

"It's just who Ash is Serena" Misty said trying to comfort the younger girl. Brock however tilted his head out of pure obliviousness.

"So what? It's just a bunch of clothes…" Brick mumbled only for Misty to turn around in the blink of an eye and say "It's a girl thing, you wouldn't understand dumbo! Why don't you go and find Ash before he ends up leaving without us!" Brock, at a loss for words, simply nodded his head before a hastily retreat. Misty turned back around and faced Serena and sighed.

"You know out of every male on the planet I'd expect Brock to understand" Misty sighed causing Serena to giggle. With a shrug of her shoulders she said "Well guys will be guys after all Misty"

"True but after all the times he claimed his "undying" love to hundreds upon hundreds of people you'd think that he may have a general understanding on a females thought process" Misty replied. She looked at the blonde haired girl with worry; she knew well enough that Serena had put a lot of time and effort into making herself look presentable and her life long crush didn't even bat an eye.

"Ash is really stupid sometimes…" Serena said softly so only Misty could hear her words. A grin cracked on the redheads lips and she said "Sometimes? How about always!" Serena's mood however only soured even more. Misty could only groan at the love sickened girl who stood in front of her.

"He…He isn't really stupid Misty…" Serena mumbled while nervously playing with her fingers.

"No; he isn't stupid. He is as dense as a rock" Misty added putting it bluntly.. "He wouldn't notice the difference between both genders of Pikachu!"

"How could you not tell the difference?" Serena asked quizzically causing Misty to face palm. "That's the point smart one!" Misty exclaimed with sarcastic facial expression.

Though at first Serena showed absolutely no idea what Misty was trying to say but now her eyes widened at the realization of her words. A small smile formed on her lips and she giggled quickly. Her mouth had grown dry and in a scratchy and distressed voice said "Yeah I guess you're right but still…It would have been nice if he at least noticed me"

Giving her blonde haired friend a smile, Misty placed a hand on her shoulder and said "Don't worry Serena; he'll come around"

* * *

"How are the Eon Dragons?" Asked the silver haired Pokemon Hunter. She approached her bother who sat on a beach. The moon illuminating the sky and reflecting off of the gentle ripples of the sea. Her brother sat on a very odd coral-like tree and turned to the Pokemon Hunter.

"Slight improvement Jay. Latios seems to have given in and is ready for glassing. Though Latias still resists we have made progress, no matter how slight it is" Lawrence replied. Silence fell among them with only the sounds of the the tide coming in. It truly was a dark place; it was as if there was no light what so ever. Lawrence moved his hand down onto the sleeves of his pants and rolled up one of the legs revealing a black rectangular object strapped to his thigh. Retrieving it he flipped the object over revealing what looked to be an ancient trading card with odd symbols printed onto the stiff card stock. It was protected by a black card sleeve.

Jay scowled and asked in an aggressive manner "You still have that garbage?" Lawrence simply chucked and said with a coy smile "How naive you are little sister" He stared at the golden card and printed on it was what appeared to be a cat outlined in a purple paint. "The card can find it Jay"

"I still don't understand how some play-thing could help us locate a stupid Mew" she grumbled as she clenched her fists. "Brother I believe that you are delusional"

"Say what you will sister but at the end of the day it will be I, Lawrence III who will hold the power of judgment. The world will now to its new master. We just need to gather the rest of the pieces and perform the holy ritual. We are almost there; and when we do get there you will receive wealth beyond your expectations" Lawrence shut his eyes and listened to the sound of the waves. "It is here Jay" He said with his eyes still shut.

"Yeah I know. I didn't come here just to chat with my brother. I am after my prize" Jay said before the silence was broken by the song of an ancient civilization. It's people long gone but it's spirit remaining in a few that still walked the Earth. In the near distance a small blob was jumping out of the water before diving back in. The Legendary Pokemon was still a mere child compared to its brothers and sisters but nevertheless it was in its blood to find its way home. It's home, the Sea Temple, was nearby; and Jay powered on her gauntlet and aimed it into the far distance at the joyful water type Pokemon. A bright light began to envelop the Pokemon Hunters arm and it was noticed by the Antenna Pokemon in the far distance and all the little bundle of joy could see was the light skyrocket towards itself before its vision faded and fell into a deep sleep. It was cold. It was afraid. It wanted its "mamma" and "dada".

* * *

**BAnd that's a wrap people! So that ending though? Gotta have seen the movies to understand who the adorable little shit that Pokemon is at the ending...I'm really sorry guys, my inbox has been flooded by messages that I haven't replied to. Procrastination maybe? All in all I'm gonna finish this story just like I said I would for my first one. After that, if I'm in a better place, then I can start my next project which I'm going to reveal...now! I'm kind of pissed though because I've been planning this for months and I just found a story following the same premises (to an extent) as the one I was going to write. An amourshipping high school fic! Popularity, secrets, crushes, who knows what will happen? Stay tuned everyone :)**


	22. OMFG HIIIIIIIIIII

**Been awhile hasn't it? Maybe three months? Heh, time is just a number right? Yeah…me neither. So I'm done with my therapy thing which ended in December if I recall and today is the first day of my second semester, the day I said I could finally write again, well I mean I'm started writing on Monday which was the first day of the new semester but I don't know when I will actually finish. Gosh it's been so long that I don't even know if I'm that good at writing anymore so please bear with me :) **

**Gosh I hope I don't get writers block! In case you didn't notice, yes, I am nervously rambling. I'm nervous that's cant meet everyone's expectations, hell I didn't even remember where I left off so I had to read the entire story again! I don't know long this chappy is going to be. Could be 1k, could be 3k, heck who knows maybe I'll go crazy and make it like 30k (like that would ever happen). **

**Daily quote: "_martyr me for cordis die" Raul Menendez"_**

* * *

An explosion echoed throughout the silent forest thus ending the tranquility it once had. Flocks of bird Pokemon could be seen flying out of the trees into the sky. The explosion came from within the forest. Coughing could be heard in said location as the explosion had sent dust flying into the air while droplets of water crashed back down onto the grassy surface" The dust cleared you could make out two Pokemon. One of which who was breathing heavily and the other being passed out on the ground.

"No Poliwrath!" Cried a black haired boy. He had a pair of torn skinny jeans on which was accompanied by a black leather jacket with a silver skull necklace around his neck. He stared at his large blue frog-like companion who was passed out on the ground. The boy turned his head towards the dark skinned referee who looked back and forth between the unconscious Poliwrath and the strung out Pokemon that had taken quite a beating.

"Poliwrath is unable to battle!" The referee declared as he raised a red flag towards the boy. "Bayleaf is the winner! Victory goes to Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town!" The referee said as he raised a green flag towards our raven haired hero.

"Yay, we did it!" Ash exclaimed cheerfully before being tackled to the ground by the dinosaur-like grass type Pokemon that was shaded a palish yellow pallet. On Bayleaf's head was a large, scythe shaped leaf. Its small tail swinging to and fro as her red eyes gazing at her raven haired friend. Sprouting around Bayleaf's neck were curled leaf-like growths in a ring like fashion. Bayleaf shoved Ash to the ground before lovingly shoving its neck into his chest, just as she had done back when she was only a mere Chikorita.

"B-Bayleaf cut it out that tickles!" The auburn eyed trainer giggled as Bayleaf continued to burrow its head into her masters chest. Across the battlefield the black haired boy sighed before retrieved a blue pokeball from his belt and recalling his fallen companion.

"Ah man" the boy sighed before turning his head towards the pokeball and gave a small smile. "You did great partner…you deserve a good rest" He whispered before returning the pokeball to its rightful place and approached the celebrating teens. He watched as Ash, who had been his opponent, was laughing despite being pinned to the ground, and the people that traveled with him who were laughing as well at the childish antics of Ash and his Pokemon. They were after all just one big family.

The dark skin man noticed the boy walking over to them. He walked away from his group of friends as he approached the boy. He was towering over the boy as he said "That was a great battle Alexander" The boy looked up and said with a smile "Thanks Brock. That girl wasn't kidding though, he isn't no pushover."

Brock chuckled at this; remembering how Serena had talked all high and mighty about her loved one upon meeting the overconfident boy. "That she wasn't Alexander" Brock replied before noticed a small blush on the boy's face. Brock turned his head and realized that Alexander was staring at the Kalos Queen. Trying to hold back and not laugh at the boys antics, he said "She's taken already man" This simple phrase resulted in Alexander blinking twice before babbling an incoherent string of sentences with a large blush on his face before calming down and sighing deeply.

"Why is it always the pretty girls!" Alexander grumbled as he felt something pat him on the shoulder. He looked up and noticed tears streaming down the Pokemon Doctors cheeks. "Uh-"

"It's rough out here man!" Brock said choking on tears resulting in Alexander to comically collapse to the ground. Slowly arising and brushing the dirt off of his pants, Alexander made his way over to the group of laughing teenagers. On Ash's shoulder was his faithful partner who took notice of the black haired boy walking over to them.

"Pika? Pika Pi" Pikachu chirped as he pointed towards Alexander. Ash turned around and looked at the boy who had challenged him. " Hey Alexander; you need something?" He asked with an innocent smile.

"Nah man, just checkin up on you that's all" Alexander responded with a coy grin. "I wanna make sure that I didn't beat your Bayleaf up too bad and all" Ash chuckled and playfully punched him in the arm.

* * *

Silence. That's all he could hear. Absolute silence. Not a single sound echoed inside of the pitch dark room. He felt tired and weak. All his energy was just gone. It took a lot of effort but he managed to slowly open up his crusted eyes and was met only by the darkness consuming his every action. " Where…" The boy began as he lifted his trembling arm and whipped his eyes. A sudden pain shook his body as he threw his hands to grab his head only for it to be unreachable. "What?" The boy asked himself as tried to move his arms. He was able to, but only to a certain extent. His arms once again went limp as the collapsed to the floor and a loud clanking noise boomed throughout the room. It took the boy a few minutes to realize what was going on. He was a prisoner. It all came back to him. Running away from his pursuers, slowly running out of places to hide until he got cornered. A sudden rage began to boil throughout his body. He struggled to free himself from the shackles that bound him to what he could only assume was a wall, desperately yanking the chains. Between harsh breathes he said "Why. Won't. You. Just. Break. Already!"

"Well it looks like you have awoken" A voice said as the lights flickered on. The boy could now observe the room he was being held in. A prison cell. The dust filled air. The moldy sink with Algae blooming inside it. A broken toilet with the shattered remains of the seat scarred around its base. A shattered mirror with dry blood splattered on what remained. The rock hard mattress which was being held by metal beams welded into the walls. And himself? He was just chained to the crumbling wall.

As the darkness faded and his vision cleared! The boy could finally see his captor. He had never felt so enraged in his life. "Giovanni!" The boy seethed furiously. The name brought memories that were best left to be forgotten. The boys tone was just filled to the brim with hostility and venom.

"Did you not get enough sleep? I did not mean to disturb you" Giovanni replied with a coy smirk. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a key, and threw it into the boys cell. Wasting no time, the boy grabbed the key and released himself from the handcuffs. His wrists were red due to all the struggling and broken skin as well. The boy bolted to the cell door and grabbed the bars.

"You…You…You…" The boy seethed. Giovanni looked at the boy and chuckled. The boys eyebrows were burrowed and he glared at the former boss of the criminal organization Team Rocket. "Not even a thank you? I thought you would enjoy being able to move around" Giovanni said calmly. How could he be so mellow? The boy just felt himself getting angrier and angrier!

"Cut the crap Gio! What do you want!" The boy growled. Much to his surprise he watched Giovanni pull out yet another key and unlock the cell door. In a flash, Giovanni opened the door and the boy fell to the ground. The boy realized that the hallway was quite wide and all of the other cell doors were unlocked as well. What in the name of Arceus was going on? He cried out in pain as he felt something smash into his back. He didn't even need to look to know what it is.

"Now, now, is that any way to treat the man who just freed you from captivity?" Giovanni sneered as he began to slowly grind the sole of his shoe into the boys back. Kneeling down he said softly into the boys ear "How does it feel? You can't do anything this time. You don't have your Pokemon with you and without them you are nothing!" The boys eyes widened upon the realization that Giovanni was right. He didn't have his Pokemon!

"Where. Are. They?" The boy said between gridded teeth. His question was only met by a swift kick to his side. "How does it feel?" Giovanni asked rhetorically. "Weak? I bet you feel weak" He sneered with an evil grin plastered upon his face. "You can't deny it. You are helpless without them!" The boy grew angrier as his tolerance level for the criminal mastermind began to lessen. "Don't push me Gio. Where are they?" The boy asked. Giovanni sneered and lowered his head once again to his ear and whispered "Make me"

Everything happened so fast. The boy rolled over thus escaping Giovanni's evil clutches and sending his captor flying. Staggering to his feet, the boy yelled "Tell me now Giovanni! Tell me now god dammit!" Giovanni placed his hand against the wall while he began to pick himself up off of the concrete floor. When the older man refused to answer, the boy took a step forward and said "I swear to God Gio I will kill-" That step he took? Yeah that was the only step he took. The sound of feet echoed throughout the hallway as members of Team Rocket suddenly appeared from the open cells. The sound of clicking rang in his ears, it was the safety for all of the rifles currently being pointed at him from all corners.

"Seem a bit familiar to you now?" Giovanni asked as he walked towards the boy who could only glare at what moments ago appeared to be the former boss of Team Rocket, but now it was clear that Giovanni still sat on his throne at the head of the most feared criminal organization throughout the entirety of the Kanto and Johto Regions, it's power was now even beginning to extend towards the Sinnoh Region.

"You are surrounded once more; and this time we didn't underestimate you. You didn't have your Pokemon, but yet you still almost and would have been able to escape, retrieve your pokeballs, and wreak havoc inside our new headquarters" Giovanni said calmly.

"This is one shit base Gio" Red snarled. "Lacking funds lately? Not selling enough Pokemon! Or is it because Domino is in-"

"Don't you dare speak her name!" Giovanni roared angrily. Bits of saliva splattered Red's face in the process. Giovanni sent his clenched fist slamming into Red's chest; knocking the boy to the ground and his hat elsewhere. He didn't stop there, he began to kick Red's legs causing the latter to scream in pain. Giovanni began to laugh hysterically, clearly enjoying seeing the boy in pain. Once the kicking ceased Giovanni sneered furiously " Get up!" When Red did not comply to his request he kicked him once again and yelled "Get up!" Giovanni was enraged, the Team Rocket grunts were actually frightened and it was quite noticeable.

In a fit of rage, Giovanni reached into his pocket and pulled out a pistol. The silver tinted M1911. The barrel of that gun? Pointed right at Red. Giovanni was furiously mumbling to himself incoherently before smirking and throwing the gun to the ground a few feet away from Red. With an evil glare Giovanni laughed. Plotting something. Anything. What for? Satisfaction maybe? Power? The mind of a mad man is a complex place after all. Unable to stand up, Red crawled towards the run. Elbows scraping the concrete which resulted in small cuts which began to bleed. Beaten and broken he was, taking raspy breathes, with each one becoming more intense than the last. This was it. His one and only chance. One bullet. One shot to the head. His head. That bastard Giovanni. It would all end here. After finally placing one hand around the grip he felt a crushing pain in his hand. Giovanni was crushing his hand with his foot.

"N-No!" Red said between his ragged breathing. He began to desperately pound Giovanni's shoe with his free hand. Giovanni simply smirked before grabbing Red by the collar of his shirt. In a heartbeat,Giovanni smashed his head into Red's and everything went black.

Dropping an unconscious Red to the floor, he turned to the quivering grunts behind him and said lethally "One Ketchum down. One to go"

* * *

**Yeah remember how I said it was the first day of my semester? Yeah that was a month ago. I just finished this damn chapter. It took me friggen that long to finish this. Starting it off was hard and tbh I was planning on scrapping the entire thing (Chapter, not story) but then I came up with the Red part. God I enjoyed writing that! The scene with Gio and Red was inspired from a certain mission in a certain game. Hint? Martyr Me. For cordis die. Well I hope you guys enjoyed. I wanna shout out a few authors who I've been chatting with and reviewing and what not. Pretty interesting stories if I do say so myself. My pal thestealthyGreninja is trying to get back into stories again, he's having trouble with grammar which he can admit which is the first step in improvement. He could use a lot of support and tips and tricks guys. Please done just close this tab. Give him some love ok? Also another shoutout to and yes, that period is there intentionally. Get this, he's tryin' to write a Pokemon story about **

**Fucking street racing. STREET RACING! Like holy shit! That ain't on this site in regards to Pokemon…I think. He's still figuring it out but I have faith in him cause think about it! The possibilities and potential is incredible! Give him a look and dm him if I were you. Lastly a shout out to a new author I recently ran into, well his story anyways, like we chatted twice through reviews. TDBigJ1213 has written the only good high school Amourshipping story-wait I think I may have said that before but scratch that cause it wasn't updated in like a year soooooo yeah but this one was better anyways. It's called "In or Out" I mean it has its flaws just like my stories do. Nothing on the Internet is perfect. Even the best writer on this damn website makes mistakes. I mean there is that Amourshipping one that Gerbil guy is writing. Idk when it was updated though, not sure if it is primarily high school related but my opinion still stands. Damn TD you doing well. Fucking hate those weekly updates though. Sooooo hope you guys enjoyed. Idk when my next update will be, hopefully really soon cause I'm in the ZONE right now! R&amp;R guys and I will see you guys next time. **


	23. The Actual Chapter xD

**So..Awkward...Hey Everyone...I'm still alive and what not. It's been about let's see...four months? That's a long time-well a long time doing shit on this website and not writing...This chapter hopefully won't be trash. Ok I'm just going to shut up now. Not sure how long this will be but I just want people to know that this story is still something I am keeping in mind and I will finish it. Not going to be a cop out right? Is that the right saying? Meh who cares. Enjoy**

**Daily quote: "Squad \m/ " Mwa (Me) **

* * *

"Here we are everyone, Violet City!" Said Alexander proudly as our heroes reached the city full of memories, memories of Ash's first Gym Badge in the Johto Region when he was traveling with Brock and Misty. They were met by the cool and gentle morning breeze and the crisp crunching of their shoes on the brick pathway. Violet City may be an old town that did not stray far from the roots of the past yet all around them life was blossoming. Green trees in the middle of roads, smiling parents sitting on the wooden benches with small Pokemon, even a Starly was snug in one woman's lap despite it not being native to the region. Laughing children running around the streets. It truly was a beautiful morning.

"This is amazing!" Serena squealed cheerfully. Traveling with Ash with Clemmont and Bonnie throughout the Kalos Region had been one of the best times in her life. Getting to see new places, eat new types food, not knowing what new adventure awaited her every day; and she even found her dream. She was only just realizing what she had done. She was the Kalos Queen and she just flat out vanished from the Kalos Region without even notifying her agent. What would happen to her position as the reigning Kalos Queen? She simply just shrugged her shoulders casually. She got another chance to travel with Ash! It would just be like old times, new places to go, sights to see, people to meet, the possibilities were endless!

"Are all the places in Johto this beautiful?" Serena asked curiously.

"Ehhh some more than others" Misty said while sweat dropping. Being Kalos Queen really had limited her freedom. Booking shows, avoiding the press, constantly practicing and perfecting new routines, always having to try on new clothes but she didn't really have an issue with that one. Ash simply grinned before walking over to Alexander.

"Thanks for helping us get here Alex" Ash said gratefully. It turned out that Alexander was a mountain ranger and he agreed to bring the group to Violet City. Well more like Misty maybe, just maybe, having forced him to due to the fact that she didn't want Ash to get them lost like he had in the past…

"No problem Ash, helping people is what I do for a living, think of this as my next paycheck" Alexander said while he and Brock both shared in a light chuckle. Though he hated to admit it, Ash was really glad he ran into Alexander, he would have probably gotten the group lost truth be told. He watched as a little blonde haired girl grabbed Misty by the hand and pulled her off to a bench where her mother was sitting and Brock engage Alexander in conversation. That left only himself and-

"Ash?" A voice said taking the boy by surprise. He felt someone's hand interlock their fingers with his own. He turned to his left and smiled at Serena who had appeared out of no where. He stared into her blue orbs and his smile became a little bit wider and he nodded his head, affirming that he was ok.

"Good, you had me worried for a second" Serena chirped cheerfully. "Can't have you getting all moody before your big match" She teased as she playfully punched him in the shoulder.

"Oh please, you haven't seen me battle since the Kalos League! You'd be surprised by what I can do now" Ash said proudly while giving her a smirk in victory, believing that he had made a witty retort.

"What about earlier against Alexander huh? Kind of lack luster compared to what I thought you could accomplish in four years" Serena said while sticking her tongue out at him. "Well I-Uh" Ash stammered trying to defend himself only for the daughter of a famous Rhyhorn racer to gently remove his cap and run her fingers through his messy jet black hair.

"I'm just teasing Ash, I bet you will wipe the socks out of the new Frontier Brains" Serene said softly. Now that was all fine and dandy but lately Ash had realized that there was more to a journey than just going from Gym to Gym constantly training his Pokemon.

"You know Serena…" Ash mumbled catching her attention. "Yes Ash? What is it?" Serena asked. Truth be told there was something that she had been planning on asking Ash herself. Something that the duo had yet to do since they had became a couple.

"We…we haven't actually been out on a date yet, have we?" Ash asked nervously but in turn made Serena's heart beat out of her chest. He couldn't be trying to ask her out on a date could he? Was he just curious? They were dating though right? Well we've kissed and said fnaf we loved each other haven't we? Maybe he's was just trying to tease her, but why did he look nervous? Maybe she was just dreaming, maybe she was in a coma after she fell off the stage during her performance, or maybe she was dead?

"Uh Serena? You ok?" Ash asked while snapping his fingers in front of her face.

"Oh I um-Sorry I spaced out!" Serena squeaked. "What were you asking again?"

"I asked if we have ever been on a date?" Ash asked. Serena's cheeks became red and she quickly looked towards the ground while kicking her leg in an cute, yet sheepish matter. "Well-I-Uh" She stammered finding it difficult to speak clearly around the cute raven haired boy.

'Take it easy Serena! Ok, breathe in; and now breathe out' She thought to herself before saying calmly "No, I guess not" Ash nervously scratched his head before mumbling "Then...Do you want to?" Serena's eyes widened. "Say that again, I didn't hear you" She asked anxiously, hoping that what she heard was accurate.

"Do you want to go on a date?" He mumbled again though slightly louder. Her heart skipped a beat. He really did just ask her! Loud and clear as day, Ash Ketchum had jsut asked her on a date! A smile formed on her lips before squealing loudly. Very loudly.

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes!" Serena exclaimed happily before wrapping her arms tightly around Ash. She placed her head on his shoulder and continued to whisper "Yes! Yes, yes, yes!"

"Gosh Serena, you sure are...enthusiastic?" Ash said quizzically before returning the embrace. The two of them stood on the sidewalk as people walked by not paying the two any attention. "So Serena" Ash began.

"Yes Ash?" She replied softly as she rested her head in the crook of his neck. "Where do you want to go for out first date?" He asked causing the Kalos Queen to blush. It was confirmed. Ash had defiently asked her out on a date. Before she could answer however, Brock and Misty approached the two.

"What's up lovebirds" Misty teased playfully causing Serena to literally jump out of the warm embrace with furiously flushed cheeks. Though disappointed that their moment had been ruined, her current embarrassment sidetracked her from that.

"H-Hey Misty! What brings you here?" Serena stammered causing the orange hair girl to chuckle evily. Brock however decided to save Serena any more embarrassment though. "We were asking if Ash was ready to take on the Battle Academy" The eldest of the group asked calmly while Misty stood next to him with her arms crossed with a coy smile on her face. Ash grinned and sent his right hand which at the moment was balled into a fist right into the palm of his left hand and confidently exclaimed "Of course I am!" Pikachu, who the author totally didn't forget about, scampered up his friends shoulder and make a piece sign.

"I expected nothing less" Misty said with a chuckle. "Come on let's all go to the Pokémon Center and book our rooms" She added as the Kanto crew began to follow her until the groupie of the original crew elbowed Ash causing the raven haired boy to look at her curiously. Seeing that her boyfriend wasn't taking the hint she gave a silent sigh. "Actually guys..." Serena said nervously while twiddling her fingers. "Ash and I will meet up with you two later"

"Really? Why's that?" Brock asked with a smile knowing all too well what she was implying. Though the oldest member of the group had not ever had someone return the romantic feelings that he had for said person, he knew his ways around young love.

"Well...you see..." Ash mumbled while scratching the back of his head while he could hear the quiet giggles of the yellow mouse who sat on his shoulder. "Serena and I are going to uh..." Serena instantly began looking at the ground and said quickly "We're going on a date!" Brock and Misty turned and looked at each other and began to laugh hysterically. The young couple blinked simultaneously before their red faces darkened and they looked away from each other staring at the ground feeling embarrassed beyond belief. As the laughter died down, Misty wiped a tear from her eye before saying "Ok now but don't do anything that you shouldn't be!" She began to laugh again as she and Brock turned around and walked away leaving the two of them alone.

"So..." Ash said awkwardly. Serena slowly turned her head so she could look at Ash and mumbled "We don't have to go on a date if you don't want to anymore after that...We can still catch up with Brock and Misty" Ash looked at Serena with a perplexed expression and went "Of course not! This meant a lot to you and I want...I want to go on a date too"

"Oh Ash..." Serena whispered as she took Ash's hand in her own and the duo began to walk down the brick pathway. "So Serena, where do you want to go for our date?"

* * *

"What Pokémon is this Ms. Crystal?"

"Ms. Crystal, what type of Pokémon is a Bulbasaur?"

"Can I have some apple juice MS. Crystal"

"Ms. Crystal, Ms. Emily said I can't play with Chikorita! I want to play with her now!'

"Ms. Crystal!"

"Ms. Crystal!"

"Ms. Crystalllllll"

"Chrys can you come here for a moment?"

"Coming Emily!" Called a woman with a slim figure and an average height. She had long black and blue colored hair tied up in bunches that stuck out from behind her star studded pierced ears. She had a primrose yellow pleated short skirt accompanied by a pair of black, white, and red sneakers. While approaching Emily she adjusted her slimly fit red shirt.

"What's up Emily?" Crystal asked as she approached her co-worker.

"Crystal, you have been working night shifts with the kids again haven't you?" Emily asked sternly. The guilty expression plastered upon the black and blue haired girl was all she needed to know that she was right. "You need to take some time off, this isn't healthy

"Emily I can't just leave them" Crystal said. "Well that's why I'm here!" Emily chuckled as she quickly grabbed Crystal by the arm and dragged her towards the exit of the room despite her pleas while all the children watched from their desks casually as if this was nothing new. Once Crystal had been pushed out the door Emily called out "Just have some fun for the rest of the day! It's been awhile since you have had some free time!"

"Whatever..." Crystal mumbled as the door was slammed shut behind her as she began to walk away from the old wooden building behind her. "Maybe this is a good thing" She whispered trying to convince herself that she actually needed this time off. Who knows what will happen or who she will meet?

* * *

**Ok to the guest Lemon Master who reviewed telling me to go fuck myself because of my earlier announcement which has been brought down due to this chapter being done: Drink bleach. Yeah that's my new thing xD Really though, don't do it I'm pretty sure it will kill you...Anyways sorry it was short guys! I tried hard with this one. I graduated and I've had a busy schedule lately. Applying to colleges and what not. I'm really sorry that it has been so long since my last chapter and I want everyone to know that this is my priority and I write whenever I get the chance. Another reason of my absence was writers block but hey, I'm goochi now :) Anyways how has everyone been lately? Look's like Ash and Serena are going to be going on their first date! That just made me think of that Pokémon XY episode called Satoshi and Serena's first date...Fucking Japanese trolled me...That isn't racist is it? If it is I'm sorry it wasn't my intention. Really I can't believe I couldn't write yesterday because of my fucking space bar -.- Anyways I hope you enjoyed this chappy and see you next time...Whenever I get the chance at least :/ Also who is this Crystal character? Well to clarify they are from the Adventures manga but what role will she play in the story? Make sure to review with your guesses...That made me sound desperate xD **


	24. Announcement

_Sup guys, it's me. So...I'm struggling writing this story I'm not going to lie. I feel like it would be best to put it on hiatus for the time being. I just don't enjoy it right now. However I am going to start another amourshipping story that I am SUPER pumped for. I haven't seen an amourshipping fic like it before, to the best of my knowledge, or an pokemon story in general, again to the best of my knowledge. Literally after I post this I'm going to start writing that story. I promise it will be something brand new and interesting :3 By the way that isn't a cat face, it's a mustache beard/face xD I'm not done with this story, just going to take a break and shift my focus so I can be productive and deliver more content :) Again, not abandoning this, just to clarify. I hope you guys like my new story...I haven't thought of a title yet. Probably be up today or by next Monday at least. I am so in the mood to write it._


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